Don't Let Us Get You
by Varmint
Summary: AJ Lee. Ryback. Zack Ryder. What do these three wrestlers have in common? They've all been screwed over at some point in their careers, being brought down to such a level that they still haven't climbed out of it. But, kharma exists. And their revenge is just beginning.
1. Chapter 1

"And the winner- via count-out- Randy Orton!" Justin Roberts announced, eliciting both cheers and boos from the crowd.

Zack Ryder slowly limped his way into the back, wincing at the pain in his ribs and lower back. Randy's newest position as the face of the company seemed to have gotten into his head, with him picking fights with anyone, knowing that the Shield was backing him up. Zack had only passed him in the hall, and suddenly he had been placed in a fight with the Champ.

Randy; true to his past Legend Killer persona; had given him the beating of a lifetime, stopping every few minutes to taunt him just to humiliate him even further. Then, after a few illegal movies unseen by the referee, he had left Zack outside of the ring to be embarrassed even further with a count-out victory.

As the Long Island Iced Z limped his way through the backstage, he glared at the floor, feeling all of the pitiful glances sent his way. All he had wanted to do was just go home. No, not even back to the hotel room that was void of anyone else, seeing how nobody wanted to room with him. No, he just wanted go back to Long Island and back in his house, giving up on wrestling all together.

He slowly made his way back to the locker room, changed into his street clothes, then decided to go to catering before leaving. He knew he should have gone to the trainer's to check out if his injuries were serious, but he just wanted to eat and leave.

In catering, he sat alone, most of the other superstars that still tolerated him getting ready for their own matches, and all the other ones just doing their best to avoid him. Zack slowly ate his food, deep in thought as he did so.

"Hey, Zacky."

Zack looked up from his plate, only to find the Queen of Crazy herself, AJ Lee, standing in front of him, holding tightly onto her Diva's Championship Belt.

Zack swallowed slowly, looking at her uncertainly.

"Uh... Hi, AJ." He answered, feeling a bit disturbed as she continued smiling at him.

"How are you?" She asked, softly swaying from side to side as she waited for an answer.

Zack looked around the catering room, as if to make sure that no one was going to pop out of nowhere to attack him, which made AJ chuckle.

"No one's going to attack you, Zacky. I'm not like that." AJ told him, making herself comfortable in the chair in front of Zack.

The blonde only raised an eyebrow at her, his meal long forgotten, and asked, "Are you serious? That coming from the same chick that devised such an evil plan to take down her once best friend?"

AJ's head twitched to the side, her smile turning into a sour frown at the mere mention of her ex-best friend, but breathed in deeply and smiled once more. "Yes, Zack. You should believe me when I tell you that you do not have to worry about anyone attacking you now."

Zack nodded slowly, then got up and turned to leave. "Where are you going, Broski?" AJ called as she ran after him, all the while he shook his head.

"Either I have a concussion and am now seeing things, or I'm in an alternate universe where people believe that doing bad things doesn't make you less believable. Either way, I'm going to the trainer's to make sure I don't have a concussion."

Zack was set on going just there, but suddenly a huge hand was wrapped around his neck and he was slammed against the wall. His vision blurred because of the brute force, his own hands scratching at the one cutting off his air supply, but that did nothing to help him.

"Ryback! I didn't tell you to do that!" AJ scolded the large man in front of her, glaring as he growled at Zack.

"I still don't see why we need him, AJ." Ryback breathed in deeply, seemingly analyzing Zack as if he were some sort of specimen that was meant to be prodded at. "He's weak, annoying, and he likes stupid music."

Zack wanted to bite something back at the much larger man, but his brain swirled, not coming up with anything snarky to retort.

"I already explained this to you, Ry! He's been screwed over as many times as we have, and I see that he at least deserves a chance at retribution!" AJ explained once more, growing more frustrated with the seconds that passed by.

Ryback looked from Zack; who was struggling to breath now; to AJ, then snorted, and after squeezing Zack's neck once more, he let go of the smaller man. Zack crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily as he tried to get oxygen back in his system, all the while AJ rushed to him.

"I'm so sorry, Zack. I didn't mean for the meeting to go this way. Ryback just gets angsty at times and doesn't think things through." AJ apologized as she helped the man stand, supporting most of his weight as he rubbed his neck, glaring at the monster in front of him.

"I can see." Was all that Zack could wheeze out, getting a glare from Ryback.

"Look, it's not safe for us to speak here, where everyone can see us. Why don't you just head back to our hotel room with us and I'll explain everything to you?" AJ asked hopefully, looking up at him with big brown eyes.

Zack looked down at her blankly, wondering why she thought that after the attack by Ryback he would willingly go back, then remembered something very important. AJ is crazy.

"That means you're coming back with us, toothpick. The easy way..." Ryback told him, crossing his arms menacingly. "Or the hard way."

Zack glanced from the Hulk-like male, then back to the pixie known as AJ, and shook his head. "You two are insane." He pulled himself out of AJ's grasp, taking a few steps away from them. "Now I _know_ that I have a concussion."

"Why's that?" AJ asked, her head cocked to the side curiously.

Zack wanted to laugh at the situation. First he was unjustly thrown into a hopeless battle with Randy Orton, then AJ had tried speaking with him, then he had been attacked by the monster called Ryback, now the two of them wanted him to go back to a hotel room they were staying it. Concussion was the only answer for this set of unusual event.

Ryback only shook his head, saying, "I told you this twink wasn't going to work for our plan, AJ. He's too stupid to do anything right."

Zack found offense at the insult, but found himself having another dizzy spell and having to lean against the wall to not allow himself to fall to the floor.

"He's not stupid, Ryback!" AJ shot, then looked at the usually happy wrestler, thinking of something. "He's just... Too _innocent_. Yeah, innocent's the word."

Zack didn't even have anything to say about that, completely confused as to what was going on.

"Fine. If you want him..." Ryback muttered, making Zack widen his eyes as the large man stepped towards him. "But if he costs us everything we're working for, it's his funeral."

"You know it, Ry-Ry. Now let's get him back to the hotel room before anyone sees us." AJ commanded, starting to skip towards the parking area.

"Wait... What?" Zack asked, only to find himself being thrown over Ryback's shoulder, his head swimming even more at the sudden movement.

Ryback didn't even have the decency to say anything as Zack groaned, he just followed AJ, Zack in one arm and their bags in the other.

_All I had wanted to do today was collapse in his bed... Was that too much to ask for? _Zack asked himself, promptly blacking out as soon as Ryback 'accidentally' hit his head against a door frame.

"Ryback!" AJ scolded as she saw the man's unconscious form, all the while Ryback chuckled darkly.

"Oops."

**All shall be explained in the following chapter!**

**Two reviews and I'll update tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 2

When Zack woke up, he found himself on a plush hotel bed, which way too soft and comfortable to be his own. The sound of light humming met his ears, along with the soft click the television made whenever someone changed the channel.

Zack groaned as he got up, placing his right hand on his head as it began to swim once more. The humming stopped, so did the changing of the channels, and suddenly Zack felt two soft hands grasping his left, giving him an odd sense of comfort as he looked down at AJ Lee.

"Don't over-exert yourself too much, Zack." AJ spoke softly, looking at him worriedly as Ryback stood idly with only mild interest at the younger superstar.

Zack did his best to glare her, feeling both disturbed and disturbingly comforted at AJ's actions. Just last night she had started speaking to him for what seemed like the first time in a very long time, only to have him kidnapped. And, most importantly, Ryback had knocked him out. With a door. Even though he might've already had a concussion.

"What are you looking at, Twiggy?" Ryback asked as Zack glared at him, AJ rejoicing inside as she thought that Zack was warming up to them. Well, her.

"Why in the world am I here, AJ?" Zack asked, turning to the woman, only to find her sitting cross-legged beside him.

She smiled warmly at him, then turned to Ryback. "Ry-Ry, would you be a dear and get some food for us? I'm sure Zack here's worked up an appetite."

Ryback only growled, uncrossing his arms and heading out without a second glance at either person on the bed. After a few seconds of silence, AJ turned to Zack, smile replaced by a serious frown.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Ryder. You, Ryback, and I have something in common. And that is that we've all been screwed over." AJ told him, making Zack's eyes widen.

If he knew anything at all, he knew this conversation was _not_ going to take a turn for the best with that beginning. "Whoah, hold the crazy train, AJ. _None_ of us have been screwed over." He said, then pointed at the only title belt in the room. "You have the Diva's Championship, for Pete's sake!"

The woman smiled an evil smile, which hid both amusement and annoyance, and said, "That isn't enough, Zack." She then got up, pointing to herself. "They _humiliated_ me and made me worthless! I may be Diva's Champion, but they're having the last laugh!"

Zack just stared at her, shocked at her outburst, but still asked, "Who are this 'they'?"

He immediately regretted having asked as AJ seemed to growl at him, answering with, "All of them, Ryder! The McMahon's, Orton, Shield! All of the other Superstars and Divas laughing in the locker room, elated because of our failures!"

Zack leaned back into the frame of the bed, eyes wide in fear, actually worried about what AJ would do now.

"They all laugh when I beat any other worthless Diva, saying that it's all just planned for me because I'm too weak to win on my own!" She stormed to her belt, holding it up and shaking it for good measure. "This means nothing without respect, Ryder! _Nothing_!"

She then threw it down on the floor, surprising Zack for the umpteenth time since their initial meeting in catering. "They all mock Ryback every time he _breaks _his competition, saying that he's just a child in a man's body, throwing temper tantrums whenever he doesn't get what he wants!" She then threw a glass cup at the wall, making it shatter into tiny pieces.

"And worse yet is what they say about you!" Now she turned to him, eyes blazing as she pointed at the Long Island native. "They insult and ridicule you after your fights!" Now she was closer to him, but not close enough to freak him out too much. "'They' are the ones that laugh after you've been beaten into a bloody pulp! Bruised and beaten and hoping for someone to end this!"

Zack felt insulted at the last bit, feeling that he didn't allow himself to be seen so clearly, but AJ was soon grasping him by the shoulders, staring at him deeply in the eyes. "But, you don't have to worry about the pain anymore, Zack. I'm here, and so is Ryback, and together, us three... We can _rule_ the WWE."

Zack gently wrapped his hands around her wrists, prying her from his shoulders. "AJ. Look, I know that you've had it rough, but that doesn't give you any reason to try to wrap me into any of your crazy schemes. I'm fine, honestly."

He tried to get up, AJ pushing him down stopped him. "No, Zack, you're not _fine_. All of your career, you have been betrayed by the people closest to you. Hawkins, Rosa, Edge, Eve... John Cena."

Zack's eyes widened at the name, finally getting what AJ was doing. "Oh, hell no, AJ. You are not going to make me a pawn in your little anti-Cena scheme. I was already attacked by Kane and; admittedly; betrayed by Eve by getting mixed up with that man. Never again."

He finally got up, worried because AJ just smiled up at him after what he said. "What?"

"You're accepting the truth." She said, and just as Zack was going to try to explain the situation to her once more, she continued. "You're not happy, Zack. You're a jobber, you're spit on and looked down upon..."

"I'm fine-"

"You're not fine, god dammit! You don't even woo woo woo anymore, Zack! You don't use any of your goofy catchphrases anymore, Zack! Have you not noticed it?" AJ asked, face morphing form a smile into disappointed frown. "You're not you anymore, Zack, and that's because of them."

OK, Zack had to admit it, he hadn't been himself in the last few months, but that was because he was dragged back into the jobber status. But, he didn't hold any grudges for that. He just knew that now was not his time, and eventually, in due time, he would get his light back again. Sure, he didn't like, but it's not like the whole WWE had something against him, right?

"Look, AJ, I get it. You want revenge on everyone who's scorned you and Ryback, believe me, I do. But I can't be dragged into this. I don't want to be booed by the WWE Universe." _'Their cheers are all I have left.'_ Zack quietly admitted to himself, all the while AJ sighed and passed a hand through her hair.

"I didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand." AJ said, then walked towards her bag, fishing out her phone from inside.

"What are you going to do now, AJ? I've seen all the insults on Twitter, they don't affect me." Zack told her, which only made her shake her head.

"These are all video-proofs of everyone in the WWE being against you, Zack." She then handed the phone to him, playing the first video. "Against you, me, and Ryback."

The first video was of Vince McMahon, Kane, and John Cena all enjoying a glass of champagne, laughing after Zack being thrown over the stage with his wheel chair.

_'That dolt.' _Kane chuckled darkly, all the while John nodded. _'What do you even see in that kid?__'_ He asked John, who only shook his head.

_'Just an annoying kid that has to be knocked down a few pegs, Kane. Nothing more. Maybe something less.'_

Zack admitted that he was hurt by that video, but that one was quickly followed by Eve and the members of Team Johnny laughing at his misfortune, which was then followed by Dolph Ziggler and Curt Hawkins bad mouthing him.

There were many more videos after those, but by the sixth Zack's anger had reached it's boiling point and he had accidentally snapped AJ's phone in his hand.

"Sorry." He clipped out, glaring at the shattered plastic in his hand.

AJ only shook her head, "Don't worry about it, it's replaceable." Then he took both his hands in her's, looking him straight in the eyes. "But you're _not_, Zack. You're so much better than any of these other so called wrestlers, and it hurts me to see you like this."

Zack nodded stiffly, and AJ smiled internally, knowing that she had finally broken through to him. "Join us, Zack. Join me and Ryback, and together, we'll be able to get our revenge. We'll show them just why you don't mess with the best."

Zack looked down at her, noticing that her hands on his brought comfort he hadn't felt in a long time, and asked, "The best?"

AJ nodded, smiling sincerely. "We're the very best, Zack. Just imagine it, Zack. You, me, and Ryback. Holding _every _championship in the WWE. But, not only that, but also proving that not only are we better than the other wrestlers in this company, but also that they don't _deserve_ to even look at us."

Zack, mind clouded with anger and betrayal, nodded without even a second thought. "I'm in. Let's take them _all_ down."

**And now you know what is going on. The next chapters will deal with this new stable being introduced, and if you have any suggestions, I'm open to them.**

**Two review and I'll update tomorrow.**


	3. Chapter 3

Zack looked up from lacing up his boots, searching the sea of WWE superstars to see if he found either AJ or Ryback. After Ryback had arrived back to the hotel room, he had found both Zack and AJ planning for the next night's show, which happened to be SmackDown. Ryback, smug at the fact that Zack had finally seen the light, had just smiled evilly at him and given him his food, leaving both wrestlers to plot.

And they had decided that Zack would still not be announced as a member of the newest stable. AJ and Ryback would be causing mayhem for the first time this week, and Zack would be beating his former tag team partner, Curt Hawkins, tonight to finally end his losing streak.

The phone beside him vibrated, making Zack pick it up and read the contact: _Queen Bee_.

He smirked at the name AJ had given herself, then opened the text.

_'Hey, Z-Z Top. Ry-Ry and I have just got to the house, and we're ready to PAR-TAY! Watch for us on the news, we're setting a pool on fire!'_

Zack smirked evilly at the message, which meant that the other members of the group had arrived at the arena and were going to cause some mayhem. He got up from the crate he had previously been seating on, heading towards the television to room to watch the craziness unravel. After the first match and commercial break, the parking lot camera focused on a heap on the floor.

_"Who is that, JBL?"_ Michael Cole asked as the camera zoomed in, showing the crumpled form of R-Truth.

_"That's R-Truth, Cole! What has happened to him__?"_

Both announcers were baffled at the fallen star, seeing how this had not been planned out from the beginning. Maybe it was just something management forgot to tell them about to make the surprise even better.

The black man groaned in pain, and suddenly a flying woman jumped on him, making him scream as she started kicking him repeatedly.

_"Oh my God! Is that AJ Lee?"_ Michael asked in shock, confused as to why the woman was attacking a superstar. That was expressly forbidden.

_"I think it is, Michael. Maybe she has finally passed the point of no return."_

Then, as AJ stopped kicking him and smiled at her handy-work, she called to someone outside of the screen, "Ry-Ry, get in here and join the fun!"

_"Ry-Ry? Who is this Ry-Ry?"_

A few seconds of nothing happening passed, then AJ smirked evilly and hoisted R-Truth up. The man was bruised and beaten, his left eyes start to close up and swell, and his clothes disheveled. AJ let go of him, with him standing up unsteadily, and suddenly Ryback appeared out of nowhere, giving him a meat-hook with all his strength.

The man's head bounced against the concrete, then he just laid there, breathing shallowly as both Ryback and AJ turned their attention towards the camera man.

The gasp that came from said crew member alerted all of the people watching, be them fan or superstar, that he was worried about his life right now.

"Oh, Mr. McMahon!" AJ exclaimed as she tapped the camera, it's focus somewhat shaky because the cameraman was afraid. "This is your first and final warning. Put me and Ry-Ry here in a _real_ match, or more superstars are gonna start dropping." She turned around, then smiled at the camera once more. "And WWE Universe, I hope you're ready for us!"

And with that Ryback clothes lined the cameraman, making the camera drop as AJ smirked evilly.

Zack smirked along with her, but quickly hid it with a frown as his fellow superstars voiced their anger.

"What is the crazy chick doing now?" Naomi asked, Cameron shaking her head.

"I cannot believe they're getting those two together! They're bad enough alone!" Justin Gabriel said, which made Zack smirk inwardly.

Well, this seemed to be going easier than usual. "Well, you know what Vince says. Ratings are all that matters." Zack told the small group of superstars gathered around him, who all quieted down and thought on this.

"If this is a publicity stunt, I'm asking to get a push! They just can't keep giving that crazy chick more importance! She's not good enough!" Alicia Fox growled, which made Zack nod.

"Well, my match's up next. See you later." Zack finished, walking out of the television room with the rest of the superstars staring after him.

"That guy's so odd." Justin Gabriel remarked, Heath Slater nodding beside him.

"Leave him be, the poor man's been through enough. I mean, we all saw how Orton beat him up a couple of days ago!" Naomi scolded, which made all the superstars cringe.

"I would _never_ want to be in his shoes, that's for sure." Justin finished, then turned around to go to catering.

Zack confidently strode through the backstage area, for once in a very long time feeling as if he really was ready to fight in the ring. All he had to do was beat Hawkins, a jobber that didn't know half of what he was doing. Simple enough.

The fight went according to plan, with Zack giving him a Rough Ryder in only two minutes. The crowd, of course, went crazy because of the end of his losing streak, leaving him smiling his bright smile and giving them his pose, all the while he smirked inwardly, thinking of how easy it is to control people with just a good attitude.

After he had finished changing into his street clothes, he walked his way through the backstage area, bag in one hand and phone in the other. He was reading over some of the tweets his fans had sent him, doing his best to answer them back, when it vibrated with a new text message.

_'Hey, Z-Z Top. Meet me and Ry-Ry in the local pub, it's going to be a blast!'_ Read the message, which made him smile.

After he had thrown his backpack in the back of his rental car, he drove to the dingiest and shadiest looking pubs he could find, where, once inside, he was tackled by a squealing AJ that hugged him tightly.

"Did you see how awesome Ry-Ry and I were today, Zacky?" She asked animatedly, already dragging him towards one of the tables in the back, where Ryback was sitting there, three beers in front of the the different seats.

"I did, AJ. You had to see everyone's reactions, dude! They're all pissed!" Zack told them, sitting down and pulling his beer towards himself.

"Really?" AJ asked, eyes bright, excited to find more.

"Yeah. And, me doing my part in this plan, told all of the superstars that would listen that this was most probably Vince giving you two more air time."

Ryback raised an eyebrow at him, all the while AJ clapped happily.

"And they believed it."

AJ squealed in happiness, then took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Okay. That's very good news, Zack, and I have even better."

Zack looked at her, "Oh?" He asked, head slightly cocked to the side as he took a sip of the beer.

"Vickie called, told me that she was glad that I was finally leaving all the stupid superstars that aren't good for me, and told me that Ry-Ry and I have our first match this SmackDown!"

Zack flashed a smile at her, then high-fived with the smaller woman, and asked, "Who're your opponents?"

"Kaitlyn and Dolph." Ryback stated, which made AJ's head twitch slightly.

Zack was somewhat worried about their opponents, knowing that AJ was going to be hard to control if Kaitlyn pushed her too hard, but still nodded.

"That's good. You guys are getting exploited as the new power duo in the WWE. Now, we have to plan for what's yet to come." Zack told them, to which AJ nodded.

"About that, Zack. I think that the sooner you come out with us, the better."

**Two reviews and I'll update tomorrow.**


	4. Chapter 4

After the group of three had decided on a plan that they all agreed on, Zack left for his own hotel, AJ and Ryback leaving a few minutes after him to their own so they would not be spotted together. Days passed by with neither AJ or Ryback speaking with Zack, then Friday arrived, with AJ giddy about their match and Zack worried about his own.

_'Hey, Z-Z Top! I got good news for you!'_ The most recent of her texts had said, leaving Zack with a raised eyebrow. _'Meet me in the darkest part of the arena you can find.'_

Zack had thought this odd, but in the course of the week he had come to known AJ, he had figured out that she liked being cryptic, making him think before doing anything important. Her excuse was that making one's mind continually think will only help with coming up with evil and diabolical when it comes to planning.

He had spent a good half hour wandering around the arena, trying to find the darkest place he could, and he was starting to get frustrated with AJ and her hiding. But, right as he was about to call it quits, he found someone falling onto his back, hugging him tightly as they fell forward.

"You made it, Z-Z Top!" She exclaimed, not seeming to mind when they both fell on the floor.

Zack just lay there, with AJ on top of him, then pushed up, AJ now somehow sitting on his back.

"Comfortable?" He asked, looking towards his back to find her smirking evilly.

"Of course I am, Zacky-Kins!"

He rolled his eyes, already used to being called by various variations of his name, then bucked backwards, making her gracefully fall and sit down on the floor. He followed, and they were eventually seated with their legs crossed, looking at each other.

"So what's the good news?" Zack asked, which made her smile an ear to ear grin.

"OK, so you know that me and Vickie have a better relationship now, right?" She asked, to which he nodded. "Well, she's kind of become the insider for us, and she's told me that there's a possibility for you to have a shot at any title if you're able to defeat the number one contender for it."

Zack smiled a very large smile himself, shocked and amazed with this news. "Are you serious, bro?" He asked, reverting to his old self, which made him smile. "Uh, sorry. I meant, are you serious, AJ?"

AJ shook her head, and told him, "Don't be sorry for being yourself, Zack. I don't mind you calling me any nickname, just as long as you don't call me hoeski." She smiled at him, then explained, "You're not going to get the shot any time soon, you still have to scratch yourself to the top once more. But once you get there, you defeat any contender for any title, and you have their shot."

Zack smiled brightly at this news, then hugged her tightly. "That's awesome news, AJ! 2013 won't end as horribly as 2012 did!"

AJ hugged him back, smiling at his giddiness, and told him, "It's going to be a while before you get the shot, you still have defeat jobbers and non-title holders, but you'll get there. And, Ryback and I have come up with a way to make sure you win tonight."

Zack released her, cocking his head to the side slightly. "What do you mean, AJ? I don't have a fight tonight."

AJ's smirk was mischievous, and she said, "Oh yes you do! That's the good thing about having Vickie on your side, she's going to help us with our plan, Zack." Then she pursed her lips, thinking. "Let's just call her our spy."

Zack nodded, and asked, "Well, if I have a match tonight, who's it against?"

"Just another jobber, Camacho. You're still supposed to be face, so Vickie's pulling out all the stops and getting all the 'heel' jobbers to lose to you." AJ answered.

The smile that Zack broke into was something that AJ hadn't seen from him in a long time... The last time he had won a championship.

"This is really happening, huh?" He asked, passing a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, it is. Now, let's go. My match is up next, and after a small promo by Orton, it's your own." AJ told him, getting up and helping him up.

"Good luck on your match, AJ." Zack told her, which made her nod.

"You know it, bro."

Zack chuckled at her, then watched her disappear into the shadows, and he headed to the television room. He sat back and enjoyed the show, smiling as AJ and Ryback made their appearance, the Diva skipping to the tune of Ryback's theme song.

"Why are you smiling so much, Ryder?" Alberto Del Rio asked, wearing his fancy suit while on tightly to his championship belt.

Now everyone was looking at him, but he played it off cooly. "Just glad that Ziggler and Kaitlyn have their chance to beat up on Crazy Chick and the Hulking Bully." Zack answered so honestly that everyone believed him, then turned back to the match.

It started off in Kaitlyn's favor, with AJ not being powerful to counter all the blows the taller female threw at her. Then AJ found a way to place Kaitlyn in the Black Widow, and even if the Hybrid Diva did get out of it, it gave AJ enough time to tag in Ryback, who quickly went about destroying Dolph.

The dyed blonde did pretty well, seeing how Ryback was pure power and strength, and managed to even get a few good hits in, but with AJ's intervention and pure craziness, Ryback quickly hit him with a shell shock and finished the match.

Kaitlyn did try to spear AJ while she skipped circles around Dolph, But Ryback caught her before she could do anything to AJ and threw Kaitlyn out of the ring, shocking the whole WWE Universe while delighting AJ.

"Don't mess with us!" AJ screamed at Dolph, smacking him upside the head for good measure, then smiled brightly at Ryback and started skipping out, the monster following her calmly.

Everyone backstage was shocked at the turn of events, including Ziggler, a bit surprised to see Ryback throw Kaitlyn, but he knew very well that even though Ryback seemed to show no emotions, he at least was compelled to take care of AJ, one of the few people that actually understood him in this world.

"Ryder, you're up!" A stagehand called into the room, which made Zack nod and get up from his seat.

"Good luck, Zack." Natalya called, which made him smile back at her.

"Thank you, Nattie."

And with that he left to the ring, performing his entrance with the whole crowd cheering him on, giving him a bit more reassurance of the plan they had planned. All he hoped for was that nobody caught on to the moments that Zack ended up disappearing from the backstage and went to meet with AJ.

"Boy, you're nothing." Camacho growled as he entered the ring, trying his best to look intimidating but only managing to make himself look stupid.

"Whatever you say, Broski." Zack smirked back, which made Camacho frown and growl evilly.

Both stars locked up at the beginning of the match, Zack gaining the advantage and throwing him around some, but after Camacho gave him a flick to the eye that was overseen by the referee, Zack found himself in the mercy of the Mexican.

"I'mma beat your ass like a bitch, _vato_." Camacho growled, but suddenly the whole arena went black, the lights shutting off with Zack smirking.

_'All according to plan.'_ He told himself, then gasped in shock when the lights came back on, but Ryback now clutching him instead of Camacho.

"Ryback Rules!" He yelled as he suddenly hoisted Zack up, the star flailing as Camacho stared dumbfounded on the other side of the ring.

_"No, Ryback can't be doing this!" _Michael Cole yelled from the announcement table, as stunned as everyone else in the arena.

_"But he is, Cole! And I'm proud of him,__"_ JBL said, arms crossed as he leaned back with a smug aura surrounding him. _"Now this is the way to make your name in this industry."_

Zack crashed down onto the canvas, Ryback having shell shocked him rather harshly. But he didn't mind, knowing that this was what it took to make sure the three got their revenge.

The referee glared at Camacho, then motioned to the announcer's table.

"The winner of this match by disqualification is Zack Ryder!" Tony Chimel announced, making Zack Ryder's music begin in the arena.

Ryback growled and smiled evilly at Camacho, leaving the Mexican stunned. With that the referee went to help the fallen star, holding his hand up while Zack clutched his ribs. While this happened, Camacho was throwing a tantrum over losing unfairly, which left Zack smirking inside.

_'All according to plan.'_

**You like? You no like? Is Vickie doing the right by joining up with Zack, AJ, and Ryback? Tell me in your reviews, please.**


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks after Ryback's attack on Zack, things continued according to plan. He continued winning his matches on SmackDown, making a few appearances on RAW, slowly rising to the top with no one suspecting a thing. And AJ and Ryback continued to decimate random superstars and Divas, leaving the WWE Universe baffled.

Tonight was the taping of Monday Night RAW once more, and Vickie Guerrero was making her first appearance since being fire.

_"What do you think of these turn of events, King?" _Michael Cole asked after the replay, which showed Ryback and AJ attacking Curtis Axle in Friday Night Smackdown.

_"I really don't know Michael! I knew AJ was crazy, but this is just plane insane for her!"_

_Well, in other news, Vickie Guerrero is making her first RAW appearance since getting fire, so this night is bound to get more interesting!"_

When Vickie came out, boos were what met her, and when she tried to speak, the jeers cut her off.

"Excuse ME!" She screeched into the microphone, getting even more boos as response. "The WWE has gotten bland, stale with every single superstar getting softer! The Superstar's Division is but a shadow of its' past, and let's not even talk about the Diva's!"

This time the boos were laced with cheers, some fans actually agreeing with her on this subject.

Zack, AJ, and Ryback were lounging in the back, safely tucked away behind some large boxes and different equipment.

"Bout time someone spoke the truth." AJ nodded, sitting cross-legged on one of the crates.

Ryback and Zack only agreed, listening intently to what Vickie had to say.

"I, for one, am glad to see someone stepping up and doing something about it! It was about time!" Now the cheers were more defined, which came from most of the male fans.

"We're up, AJ." Ryback told her, only to have the Diva jump on his back and point forward.

"Onward, my noble steed!" She exclaimed, all the while Ryback frowned.

Zack stifled his smile as they left, finding the dynamics between AJ and Ryback amusing. He stayed there for a few more minutes, listening to Vickie praising AJ and Ryback, then he left, knowing he had been missing for a bit too long from the main roster's eyes.

As he made his way back to the television room, he whistled a tune from a rock song he had heard on the drive there, completely oblivious to his sorroundings. He cursed his ignorance when someone slammed into him, holding him by his neck against the wall.

"Good job, Roman..." A slow and almost mocking voice spoke, which made Zack glare as he finally saw who was holding him.

In front of him was the Shield, Seth Rollins smirking evilly as Roman held him against the wall, Dean standing behind the Samoan while smiling evilly.

"What do you want, Ambrose?" Zack growled as he tried to thrash against Roman, only to have the Samoan push his forearm against his neck, effectively cutting off both Zack's breath and fight.

"Not so tough without your monster, huh, Ryder?" Dean mocked, which made Zack glare at him.

"Only monster I've come in contact with has been Kane, and we all know how that ended." Zack hissed, only to have Roman's forearm press deeper into his neck, which made him choke as he tried to loosen the Samoan's grip, desperately in need of oxygen.

"Oh, poor Zack Ryder..." Now Seth spoke, voice laced with amusement and sarcasm. Then he got serious, frowning slightly. "We know your secret, Zack, and we want in."

Zack's brain was on hyper drive, trying to think of ways to escape from his predicament while also avoiding having to speak to them too much. He was a good liar, but these guys were bound to pick up.

"Only secret I have is my hidden love for rock music."

Roman's forearm seemed to gradually add pressure, but Zack would not quiet. Someone was bound to walk through and find the Shield assaulting, which would make the men flee and their attack cease. He just had to hold up til then.

"Ever the comedian, I see." Dean pointed out, smiling maliciously. "Look, kid; you, AJ, and Ryback are working together. We know this and if-"

The Joker-esque man was cut off by Zack kicking Roman where the sun don't shine, who fell to the ground as the broski made a break for it. He had to get out of here as soon as possible, preferably to find AJ, Ryback, or any other person in this company that actually liked him.

"You're not getting away, Ryder!" Dean shouted as Zack ran away as fast as he could.

Unfortunately, Seth Rollins was faster, and Zack was tackled to the ground, thrashing and fighting as he tried to shake the younger man off of him.

"Stop fighting, Z-Z Top!" Seth mocked, which made Zack freeze in place, eyes wide as he gazed in shock a the two toned man.

"So _now_ you're listening." Dean swaggered his way over to them, Roman following him while glaring murderously at Zack.

"Go to hell, Ambrose." Zack spit out, renewing his struggles against Seth.

"Stop fighting, Doll Face. We just want to talk t you." Seth said in a soothing voice that sounded very mocking to Zack, all the while forcing his arms down.

"What is going on here?" A booming voice interrupted whatever Dean was about to say, making all the men look towards it's owner.

"Big Show! Help!" Zack yelled, making Seth glare murderously at him. "They just attacked me for no reason!" He finished, which ended in the rest of the Shield sending him icy glares.

"Your time's running out, Z-Z." Seth his in his ear. "Meet us in room 455 in AJ's hotel in four hours, _alone,_ or your secret is out."

With that Seth pushed off of the older man and ran with his friends, just as Big Show got to them.

"What did those creeps want?" Show asked as he helped Zack up, both staring after the fleeing Shield.

A few seconds of silence passed without Zack answering, which worried Big Show, but the man then said, "Don't know, Bro. They're just being strange once more."

Big Show nodded, "You have to be wary of those guys, Zack. God knows what they might've done to you if I hadn't run into you."

He continued talking about something or the other, but Zack was busy freaking out on the inside. How did the Shield know about them? What did they want now? And more importantly, Would they rat him out?

**Did I paint the Shield in a way you liked? And sorry about the story being kind of slow, but I really want to build it up.**

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

Zack paced back and forth in his hotel room, mulling over his choices as Miz; his roommate and one of the few people that actually tolerated him; watched him uncertainly.

What could he do? Rollins had never said he couldn't tell his other teammates, which meant nothing was stopping him from telling AJ or Ryback. But, the fear of what could happen if he _did_ tell them was stronger than the curiosity he was feeling.

"What's up with you, Zack?" Miz finally asked after Zack stopped his pacing, gazing out the window to think of something.

"Just got a lot on my mind."

Zack went back to pacing after the answer, making Miz roll his eyes.

"I'm heading out, dude. I'm not sure when I'll be back, so don't be shocked if I'm not here for tomorrow morning." Zack said as he walked towards his bag, throwing on a jacket and turning to the door.

"What about the flight? You can't miss it, Zack. You have your first appearance on the news tomorrow, and Vince said you had to make it. It's crucial to your career." Miz reminded him, getting up from the bed to walk over to the younger man, who was now silently cursing his life.

"Damn it." Zack cursed, then shook his head. "Publicity be damned, Miz. I have to get this done."

With that he stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked and worried Miz behind.

"What the hell is going on with him?"

* * *

Zack stood in front of the Shield's hotel room, jacket pulled tight around his body and hoodie up so no one could identify him. Right now he was battling with himself, asking himself if he should knock on the door in front of him or leave to speak with AJ and Ryback, but before he could decide, the door had swung open, revealing a smirking Seth Rollins.

"Knock knock." The man mocked the slightly taller one, who frowned.

"Am I allowed inside, or do I have to answer a riddle?"

Seth actually seemed amused by the question, but didn't say anything, just stepping to the side to allow Zack to enter the room. To say Zack was surprised to see how normal the room look was an understatement. He had always thought that the Shield would want to stay in a dark place, resembling the Bat Cave or something along those lines, but he was wrong. And this was just a normal, generic hotel room.

"Please, Zack, sit down." Dean spoke as he gestured to one of the hotel beds, Roman sitting on the other one as Seth plopped down on one of the chairs in front of him.

Zack looked from Dean to the other two members of the Shield, noting that whatever they wanted, they were going to speak about it tonight. And there was no way for Zack to get away this time.

"Why am I here?" Zack asked as he sat himself down, staying on the edge of the bed to be ready for anything.

Dean's smile was a mix of malicious intent and amusement, as he said, "Why, Zack, have we not torture each other enough? Would you like anything before we speak? I'm sure we have some water in the mini-fridge."

"No thank you." Zack's voice was strained, his body taut and tensed as the three members looked down at him.

Seth was smiling at him now, but not a comforting one. No, his was a mix of amusement and boredom, which really didn't seem to fit, but somehow worked for the young man. "Why so apprehensive, Z-Z? We're not going to do anything to you."

"Yeah, just like your Samoan didn't bruise my neck or you jumped me." Zack mumbled, crossing his arms as he glared directly at Roman.

The Samoan didn't mind it. He was already used to getting hated for his brute strength and only shrugged.

"Look, Ryder, we didn't mean for you to get hurt, we really only wanted to speak." Dean told him, elbows on his knees as he leaned forward.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you've wanted to speak to the other superstars you've power-bombed. Look, Ambrose, I don't want anything to do with you. It's bad enough you say you know my secret." Zack told him, actually managing to surprise Rollins and Reigns.

They had always thought that Zack Ryder was a buffoon, with his 'Woo woo woo you know it' and some other dorky catch-phrases, they had never seen him as a threat. So they were especially surprised when Dean told them who their next target was, but didn't question. Dean, on the other hand, had always known there was something more to Zack Ryder than his Long Island Iced Z persona, and he was glad that they were seeing a snippet of it.

"You're awfully serious, Zacky. You sure you don't want anything?" Seth asked, which got a glare.

"I already said 'No, thank you', man. Are you going to force things on me now?"

The question was directed at Dean, who only shook his head, "We're not going to force anything on you, Ryder. We only want to talk. And, if I'm right, you have very important business to handle in the morning, so let's do this as fast as possible."

Zack was actually shocked at the fact that Dean knew about his schedule, but before he could say anything about it, Dean was getting up and walking towards his bag, which held the laptop he was going to need.

"You have to start being more discreet about your meetings, Ryder. At first they were okay, but you three are getting sloppy." Ambrose said as he took out the laptop, walking back to the man and powering it up.

"Please tell me you're not going to torture me with Barney. I've already lived through that twice, I don't need to know how much family matters!"

The three Shield members looked at him as if he were stupid, yet somewhat amusing, and Zack blushed. "Pranks are mean." Was the only explanation he offered to Dean, who went back to setting up the laptop.

In a few minutes the video footage of AJ, Ryback, Zack, and Vickie meeting in the back was replaying, Zack's eyes were wide as he saw Dean suddenly appear in front of the camera, giving it a thumbs up as Rollins chuckled from somewhere to the side. The video ended soon enough, with Vickie leaving the room and AJ, Ryback, and Zack waiting for their que, and the room was filled with silence.

"Would be a shame if that video got out, huh?" Dean asked in his usual slow drawl, getting a heated glare from Zack.

"You can't let it get out! You _have_ to understand what we're doing!"

"Oh, we understand." Seth was no seated beside him, smiling evilly. "That's exactly why you're here."

Zack wondered what he meant, then Roman spoke up, "We have a deal that would benefit not only the Shield, but also your little rag-tag group."

* * *

"I can't believe this." Zack breathed as he walked towards AJ's and Ryback's room, Roman following quietly behind.

"It's going to benefit us all, Zack. Just remember that." Roman said as they had reached the room, Zack turning around to snap back at him only to find that the Samoan had disappeared.

"Stupid ninjas." Zack breathed out, then looked up at the door, frowning slightly as he knocked on it.

"Who is it?" The groggy and angry voice of Ryback yelled from inside, making him sigh.

"Ryback, it's Zack. I got some news for you."

**Yeah, I'm just dragging this along. Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

Zack was left in by a grumpy Ryback, only to find an upbeat AJ bouncing on the bed. This surprised him, seeing how it was like two or three in the morning.

"Hi, Zacky! Why are you here?" She asked, stopping the jumping to stand in the middle of the bed with a large smile.

Zack gave a questioning look to Ryback, who only shook his head, "She keeps insisting on a team name. The devil hasn't let me sleep in days."

Zack nodded sympathetically, then turned to AJ, "We've got a problem."

AJ's smile dropped at this, stepping down from the bed to walk towards him. "What do you mean?"

Zack fidgeted under the intense gaze of both wrestlers, saying, "The Shield. They know about us. And sayd either we follow their rules, or we're ousted to the rest of the of world."

The Devious Diva growled in frustration as she roughly started pulling her hair, all the while Ryback glared at him cooly. Even though it was still a glare, it wasn't as evil as before, so Zack was actually surprised by this.

"Those bastards! How dare they threaten my master plan?! They're going to pay! Pay I tell-"

AJ had started to rant, pacing around the room as both males stared after her, but she was cut off by Ryback covering her mouth with his hand, holding her in place as she thrashed and tried to be freed. Ryback only looked at Zack, who's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and nodded, "What did they say?"

Zack looked from the thrashing Diva to the behemoth Superstar, and spoke, "Ambrose said he doesn't mind us dishing out our own justice, but they don't want us going rogue. And instead of forcing us into early retirement, he wants them to joins us."

AJ stopped in her struggles, eyes blinking at the news, shocked, "Mey mant mo moin mus?" She mumbled from behind Ryback's hand, only to grow frustrated and bite it.

Ryback growled as he retracted his hand, the Diva glaring at him. Then she turned back to Zack, facial expression unreadable, "They want to joins us? Not the other way around?"

Zack shrugged as he rubbed at his sleep depraved eyes, "They didn't specify, AJ. Just said they wanted all of us to be a faction. The most dominant group that the WWE has ever seen."

Both of the other wrestlers in the room looked at each other, actually feeling worried about the weary and tired Zack in front of them, and AJ calmly said, "If you'd like, Zack, we don't have to think about this right now. You can go back to your room, rest up, do what your schedule says you have to do, then meet up with us tomorrow. It's no biggie."

Ryback nodded as the man blinked rapidly, the bags in his eyes seemingly having grown in the few minutes that had passed since he entered the room to tell them the news.

"It's nothing, guys. I just really want to finish all this before I end up being attacked by the Shield." Zack answered, a yawn escaping after he did so.

AJ nodded, and told him, "We're in. If they're going to help us overthrow the regime, I'm okay with it."

Ryback agreed with her, which made Zack smile wearily. "You sure? Those guys can be a ticking time bomb at times."

Both of them nodded, Ryback saying, "We're in, but if they hurt any of us, it's their heads. Even if we're going to be working together and they're going to be helping us with our mission, they touch either of you and they're dead."

Zack's eyes were wide after he said this, his sleep seemingly forgotten as he stared at the man, surprised at his confession, while AJ smiled happily.

"I told you Ry-Ry was warming up to you."

Zack nodded dumbly and wiped at his eyes, saying, "Just a bit shocked. Always thought you didn't like me."

Ryback grunted as he crossed his arms. "I don't like you, Ryder. But your with us, and because you mean so much to AJ, I have to make sure nothing happens to you."

Zack smiled dumbly, nodding, "Should've known that you didn't like me." He muttered to himself, then clapped his hands together. "I'm staying with you for some sleep."

And with that he passed out on the bed nearest to him, snoring up a storm as AJ giggled and Ryback sneered.

"Guess you're sleeping on the couch now, Ry-Ry." AJ sang as she made her way to her own bed, ducking underneath the covers before Ryback could grab her.

The man just growled at both of them, but made his way to the pull-out couch, somewhat relieved because AJ had finally left the issue of the name alone.

"Hey! We never figured out a name!" AJ gasped as Ryback got comfortable on the bed, only to make him sigh and curse himself.

"Go to sleep."

* * *

That same day, the Shield somehow got Zack to his plane without waking him up, which surprised him, but still made him smile. Guess they really did want the loyalty their small faction had. Anyways, the week passed by pretty uneventfully until that Friday, which was the first day the Shield would meet with the rest of the group.

"They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago." Dean growled as he paced, Seth sitting on a crate behind him while rolling his eyes.

"Zack told us they weren't too big on timing. Vickie's a tough woman to please." Seth told him, which only got a silent nod from Roman, who was leaning against said crate with his arms crossed.

"We're on in an hour, Seth! It's a matter of keeping our appearance!"

"Don't get so riled!" Zack's voice called from the entrance of the hidden room, making all three Shield members look towards it.

There Zack stood with AJ on his back, Ryback following him and Vickie beside the behemoth. AJ's smile was bright as she caught sight of the three members of the Shield, all the while Ryback stayed quiet and Vickie looked at them disdainfully. She hadn't agreed with them joining, mostly because the Shield was unpredictable and their loyalties were blurred, but after some convincing on Zack's part, she had slightly opened up to the idea.

"Finally." Seth breathed, then jumped down from the crate. "Dean's being pissy and we need to come up with a game plan tonight."

Zack nodded, "Right. Well, AJ and Ryback have their match after Sandow and Cara, and after that I'm up against Del Rio."

The three members of the Shield nodded at this, then Vickie stepped in, "We were speaking, and the best plan to follow would be you three attacking Zack, much like Ryback did on his and AJ's debut week. Zack would win the fight via D.Q, and could give way to a new rivalry between the Shield and whoever Zack could get on his side."

Now AJ had transferred from Zack's back to Roman's, which made the Samoan raise an eyebrow but just shrug. "And that would give way to our plan of Zack coming out with a BANG!" She jumped at the last word, then quickly grasped the Samoan to not fall while chuckling embarrassedly.

Dean nodded, ignoring AJ's little scene, and asked, "So, we could say that Zack; with whoever he can find to join him; would be going against the Shield at the nearest Pay Per View that we can take over, where he would turn on them and come out as a member of our faction?"

"And that would also be the event in which Ryback and AJ would be coming out as your partners, too." Vickie told him, which got a nod of approval from all three men.

"That's good. We're in."

"We're_ all_ in now."

**Sorry about the time skip, but I didn't think the chapter would be good enough then so I just skipped the week and now you know what the Shield's plan is. But don't worry, I'm just getting started.**

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

_"I cannot believe what has just happened, JBL!"_ Michael Cole announced, shocked at the sight before him.

The Hounds of Justice were standing over a broken and battered Zack Ryder, who was writhing in pain after his brutal match with Alberto Del Rio. The man had won, seeing how Seth Rollins hit him with a flying knee out of nowhere, but now he was down and out, helpless because the Mexican Aristocrat had high-tailed it as soon as he had been able.

_"These guys are just dangerous, Michael. I just wonder what Zack did this time to get on their bad side." _JBL told his broadcast colleague, who was shaking his head. _"Maybe he 'Woo woo woo'ed too close to them."_ JBL joked, which only got a glare from Michael.

"Whoah, Bros, don't do anything you might regret." Zack winced as he cowered to the ropes, trying his best to leave the ring.

"We won't regret, Ryder." Seth sneered as Roman cracked his knuckles beside him, Dean smirking evilly at the retreating wrestler.

"But you will." Roman finished, then the three moved to attack Ryder, but a loud theme song stopped them right there.

_"Is that CM Punk?!"_ Michael Cole asked as said wrestler ran down the ramp, glaring threateningly at the three wrestlers dressed in black.

_"More importantly, is that Miz!?"_ JBL gasped, the smaller wrestler following close behind his ex-protege.

"Stay away from him!" Miz yelled as he slid into the ring, he and Alex forming a kind of circle in front of Zack, shielding him from the angry wrestlers.

"You got lucky this time, Ryder!" Seth yelled as the Shield made their retreat, going through the audience as they always did.

"No, it's _you_ who got lucky!" Punk yelled after them, then turned to the downed Ryder, who was wincing as he grasped his ribs. "You okay, Zack?" Alex asked, crouching down next to him.

He just nodded with his eyes closed, biting at his bottom lip to not scream in pain. Del Rio had dropped him onto the barricade rather clumsily and now he thought that something might've been damaged.

"Let's get him to the Trainer's." Miz told Punk, who only nodded.

Then they both hoisted Zack up, wrapping his arms over their shoulders, and went up the ramp, leaving the WWE Universe surprised, just like Michael Cole and JBL.

_"Does this mean Punk and Miz are on speaking terms? Last I checked, they weren't all buddy buddy."_ Michael asked, but JBL only shook his head.

_"I have no idea, Cole. But as we both know, anything can happen in the WWE."_

* * *

"What is up with you and getting your ass whipped around the whole arena, Ryder?" CM Punk asked as he held his head in his hands, sitting on one of the chairs in the Trainer's room as Zack was being looked over by one of the doctors.

Miz was standing in the other side of the room, arms crossed as he glared at nothing in particular, scowling heavily.

"Don't know-" Zack breathed in sharply, glaring at the doctor who only mumbled an apology. "Bro..."

Miz wiped his face, saying, "Seriously, Zack, one would think you got on their bad side. You got attacked by Ryback a few weeks ago, then both he and AJ jumped you and Sin Cara not too much ago, and now you got attacked by the Shield. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Zack shook his head quietly, "I guess they just see me as easy prey." Zack mumbled, just as the doctor sighed and clapped, finalizing his small test.

"What's the news, Doc?" Punk asked, getting up from his hair to sit beside Zack, who was clutching at his ribs painfully.

"Well, it's not broken, that's for sure." The older man answered, his face slightly scrunched up. "But what I _do_ know is that if you don't _want_ them broken, you have A) avoid getting thrown onto the barricade, and B) take at least a week off for the ribs to start healing up."

Zack nodded, then Miz asked, "So not broken, but it's better to not push it?"

"Exactly. Here, I'll give you some ointment you can call it to put on your ribs, it'll help them heal up," The man said, turning around to look for just that, when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" He called, then went straight to look for the soothing cream that would help Zack.

Vince McMahon popped his head through the door, Triple H following close behind, just like Randy Orton. Zack tensed up quickly, just like Miz, but it was for a very different reason.

"I heard that the injury is real." Vince stated as he walked to stand in front of Zack, unbuttoning his dress jacket to stick his hands in his pocket. "What's the verdict, Doc?"

"He won't be fighting for the next week or two." The oldest man there walked towards Zack, giving him a small white tube that had nothing written on it.

When Punk gave him a weird look, the jolly man only winked, "Family secret. Works like a dream, ask my son. He used to play football back in his younger years."

Zack nodded and grabbed the tube thankfully, anxious to get back to his own room, rub some on his side, then fall asleep.

"Well, seeing as Zack is going to be missing for two weeks, this will perfectly give way to a new story line I've been thinking about." Vince said, clapping his hands together as Triple H frowned slightly.

He had never liked the Ryder kid, and now that he had been getting a push, he was very upset. And the fact that Vince's plan would be putting him over even more, he was slowly starting to grow frustrated.

"And what would that be, Vince?" Punk asked, looking from the younger man to his boss.

"We've looking for someone to take on the Shield for some time, seeing how the Usos' popularity has dwindled and the rest of the Superstars are under Triple H's rule, and now we have found the Trio to take them down. Punk," He motioned to the man, "You've had your own run-ins with both the Shield and Triple H, Miz, you got yourself into some trouble in the beginning of Randy's Championship reign, and Zack, you're just the catalyst."

The three men nodded at the man's somewhat-explanation, and Zack asked, "So after I come back from my rest, we'll all be thrust into a storyline against the Shield?"

"And not only then, Miz and Punk will start the feud this Monday." Vince smiled, proud of himself for the idea he had just come up with.

All was quiet in the room as the wrestlers mulled over he proposition, and they just nodded, "I'm in." Punk said, having secretly wanted a chance to fight the Shield since they first burst into the scene.

"You can count on me." Miz agreed, "They need to be put in line."

And that left Zack, who only nodded, "I'm tired of getting beaten up. It's about time people found out just how tough I can be."

Vince smiled at this, all the while Randy and Triple H frowned, and clapped his hands. "Perfect!"

But, Vince McMahon was unknowingly and unwillingly helping the biggest threat the WWE had ever seen become great.

**Please review.**


	9. Chapter 9

"I cannot believe you're out for a week." AJ pouted as she sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at Zack with sad puppy eyes.

Ryback was out looking for food, which left the Broski with AJ, who was sad at the turn of events.

"Well, at least now we have Vince on our side." Zack pointed out, but the woman only shook her head.

"He isn't on anyone's side unless it brings him money. He's not on our side, we're just playing him." AJ informed Zack, which made him frown.

"You mean _Zack's_ playing him, right?" Vickie asked as she stepped into the room, wearing her usual GM attire.

She had been staying in the same hotel as the rest of the group, and they would leave the extra keycard with her, seeing how she was both responsible and reliable. And she would usually meet up with the younger Stars in the mornings or before they went to sleep to talk strategy.

"I resent that." The man said.

"But you are, Z-Z Top." AJ told him. "You're using Vince's trust in you to further our cause."

Zack rolled his eyes as AJ got up to hug Vickie, which was really something. They had first started out hating each other, and now they acted like mother and daughter, and sometimes even best friends. "The cause you dragged me into."

"Oh, hush, Ryder. If you hadn't agreed with the cause you wouldn't be doing this right now." Vickie told him, then placed her backpack down on the bed.

AJ climbed onto the other side of the bed, all the while Zack leaned on his chair to look at whatever Vickie was about to do.

"What's up, Vi?" Zack asked curiously, which got a glare from the older woman.

"What did I tell you about that nickname?" Vickie growled, shaking her head as she got back to what she was doing before.

"To not call you that. But why is AJ the only one that can call people names?" Zack asked, watching intently as the woman placed a large paper; which depicted what seemed like a WWE time chart, the kind one would find in the video games; in the middle of the bed. "We planning on taking over the WWE Internet?"

Vickie; who had just about enough of Zack's stupidity; smacked him upside the head, which made him whine. "Of course not, you idiot!"

"Then what is it, Vickie?" AJ asked, her head cocked to the side.

"It's a schedule for us, you dolts." Vickie answered, then pointed at the first Friday Night SmackDown there. "This is the night you got together, right?" She asked, which made both wrestlers nod. "And this is the first RAW where AJ and Ryback revealed they were a tag team."

"So, hold up, your mapping whatever we're doing?" Zack asked, eyes wide.

"You could say that, yes." Vickie nodded, "We have a schedule to keep, especially now that the McMahon family has entered the fray."

Just then there was a knock on the door, to which Vickie signaled Zack to open. The man, sighing at how mean women were to even men who were injured, went and opened the door, to find the three newest recruits to their team standing there.

"Knock knock." Dean smirked as he leaned against the door frame, Seth smirking from behind him while Roman stood with his arms crossed.

"Come on in, guys. Couldn't have had better timing." Zack told them as he moved away from the door, leaving space for the three men to walk in.

The Shield did so, walking inside and promptly making themselves comfortable, climbing onto chairs or beds, Seth going as far as sitting on the dresser drawer.

"Sure thing, just go ahead and sit anywhere you'd like. Not like there are any rules of etiquette when going into someone's place of residency." AJ huffed as Dean smirked at her, sitting on a chair right beside her.

"We'll just make ourselves comfortable then." Seth gave her a Cheshire smile, which made the diva roll her eyes and scoff.

"Excuse me!" Vickie yelled, getting everyone's attention, even Zack and Roman's, whom were fighting over the seat on the bed. "If you don't remember, we're here to strategize! And we cannot work if you are bickering over something as petty as seating arrangements!"

All five superstars were quiet after she said this, leaving Vickie smiling as she nodded to herself. "Good. Now, this is what's going to happen..."

* * *

"Ah, Vickie, how have you been?" Vince McMahon asked as the Cougar walked up to him, smile in place as she was flanked by both AJ and Ryback.

"I've been good, Mr. McMahon. Very good. But my clients, AJ and Ryback," She said, motioning to each superstar. "Have not been doing so well."

Vince placed his hands in his pocket, smile turning into a questioning frown. "Why is that?"

"Well, not only is AJ allowed to get her hands on the dirt that has hurt her all these years, but now they are thinking of eliminating the mixed tag matches because my clients get too 'violent'." She smiled as she said this, showing that she thought this was extremely stupid.

"But mixed matches aren't bad. And sure, AJ and Ryback tend to get a bit frisky, but if wrestlers wanted safe, they shouldn't have gotten into this business." Vince agreed, nodding himself.

"So, I was hoping-" Vickie began, but suddenly the door to his office was opened and in stepped Triple H, scowl in place, which was perfect for his bad mood.

"Ah, Hunter. How was your plan with 'good for business'?" AJ asked with a smirk, happy that Randy had been knocked off his pedestal. Even if it had been done by a troll...

Triple H only glared at her, then turned to Vince. "Vince, there's a small problem right now."

"And what would that problem be?" Vince asked, not in the mood for his son-in-law's antics.

"The Miz and CM Punk are set on calling out the Shield since their attack on Zack Ryder." Triple H informed.

"Mmm." Vince hummed as he nodded, then turned to Vickie, "You want your problem solved? I think I have the perfect solution. AJ, choose the one man you want to beat on and I'll make your match official. You'll have Ryback with you."

AJ squealed as she jumped up, happy that she was finally going to be getting her hands on the one man that had hurt her the most.

"Excuse me, Vince, but that doesn't do anything with our current problem." Triple H interrupted, which got a glare from Vince.

"This is my way of solving it, Hunter. Those two want to get decimated by the Shield, let them. They're replaceable." Vince informed, then got back to Vickie. "If you need anything else, Ms. Guerrero, please tell me." He said, grasping her hand and kissing it.

She smiled at him, nodding, "Will do, Mr. McMahon." With that she turned around, "Let's go guys," And Ryback and AJ followed her, leaving an angry Triple H with a smug Vince.

"Are you really going to do nothing about those rogues? They need to be put in their place!" Triple H growled, getting an eye roll from Mr. McMahon.

"I am the owner of the WWE, and I decide what is best for my Superstars. If they want to get beat up, then let them. As I said, Punk and Miz are replaceable," Vince then looked up and down Triple H, almost disdainfully. "And so are you."

With that the owner of the WWE left his own office, leaving an angry and steaming Triple H behind.

**I'm sorry if Triple H seems OOC right now, but it's how he needs to be for the story to develop. **

**But, the story's going to be picking up, starting with AJ's match against any male wrestler. Who'd you want her to face? PM or review so I can figure out.**

**Please share your thoughts.**


	10. Chapter 10

_"Can you believe Punk and Miz did that, King?" _Michael Cole asked, his body turned towards the older man, who only shook his head as he smiled.

_"I actually can, Cole! Punk and Miz have both been known to use their mouths to really stick it to their opponents, and I guess attacking Zack has just unleashed the wrath of both men!"_

JBL rolled his eyes at this, shaking his head,_ "Please, Punk is only looking for an excuse to fight while Miz is just looking for attention! Heck, I'm sure Punk's just sore from his loss to Paul Heyman last night!"_

This got an eye roll from both his commentary partners. _"Actually, I think that Punk's telling the truth. He's most probably taking the high road and leaving Heyman to be an idiot with his own minions. I'm quoting Punk, of course."_ Jerry answered, smiling as Michael nodded in agreement.

JBL only scoffed at the man, but his response was interrupted by Michael Cole. _"Well, as if earlier this night, AJ Lee has been given the chance to face any Superstar she would like, seeing how Vickie went straight to Mr. McMahon with this."_

_"Does no one think she's crazy?"_ King asked, then corrected himself. _"Well, crazier than usual?"_

_"Asking for a fight against any Superstar is insane! I mean, don't you remember the War of the Sexes a few years ago? Trish and Lita were decimated by those stars!"_ Michael informed, which only got a shake of the head from JBL.

_"I believe AJ can beat whichever Superstar she decides to go against. She's just that good!"_

_"Yeah, and let's not forget the monster on her side."_ King muttered, he and his commentary team looking towards the ramp as a loud theme song started.

AJ Lee skipped to the rhythm of Ryback's theme song, belt on her shoulder while smiling up at the crowd, Ryback calmly trailing behind her with a microphone in hand as they made their way down the ramp. Some fans cheered while others booed, but it didn't matter to the Diva, she was ecstatic about her match. She stepped into the ring and Ryback handed the mike to her, glaring at the WWE Universe.

_"Anybody else think this was a match made in an Asylum?"_ Michael asked, making King chuckle.

_"Makes sense! They're both crazy and have anger problems!"_ King answered, chuckling as JBL glared at them.

_"Shut up, King! Could you let us watch this match?" _JBL growled, which made both his fellow commentators laugh.

_"Sure thing, JBL."_

"Well, this night sure has been crazy, huh?" She asked, getting a few cheers from the fans. "Punk and Miz calling out the Shield, Big Show balling like a baby after knocking out the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes," She got boo's this time, but knew they were directed at the giant. "And the Divas making complete fools of themselves. Again." Boos once more, this time directed at her, but she just continued, talking cooly. "But there's no need to fear. A _real_ Diva is about to put the beat down on one of _your_ heroes." She smirked at Ryback, who smiled maliciously and nodded.

"This'll be fun." He told her, which made AJ smile.

"The opponent I've chosen for tonight," She paused, looking out to the crowd, "Is..." She stalled, looking for a dramatic pause. "Mr. Show Off himself, Dolph Ziggler!"

The crowd cheered loudly at the announcement, exhilarated at the match that awaited. It took a few seconds for the theme song to start, but when the star did come out, he didn't exude his usual self-confident aura. No, he walked down the ramp with a deep frown, very aware of the fact that a game with AJ Lee was a game lost.

"Oh, come on, Ziggy. No need to hesitate." AJ almost mocked as Dolph hesitated on the steel steps, which made him glare at the Diva. She smiled wickedly at him, all the while Ryback moved out of the ring.

"Fair game." Ryback growled, sneering as he leaned against the apron.

A referee got inside the ring as Dolph leaned against the turnbuckle, shaking his head slowly. "I'm not fighting a chick."

AJ smiled evilly at him, leaning her head to the side to make herself look even creepier. "You're fighting me, Dolph. It's your job."

Dolph sighed as he shook his head once more, "You have to fight her, Dolph." The referee whispered to him, making sure to make it look discreet. "Mr. McMahon told me if you don't fight, it's you against the Shield on SmackDown."

Dolph growled viciously at this, _"What's up with Dolph? Too afraid to lose to a girl?"_ Michael Cole asked, almost in a joking manner.

_"Maybe he's just worried to hurt her."_ JBL told him, already getting tired of Michael's stupidity.

_"Maybe you two are just too stupid."_ King bit back, promptly shutting up whatever insult Michael was about to shoot back while making JBL glare at him.

"Fine. Let's get it over with." Dolph finally threw his arms up after the referee explained a few more details to him, and immediately found himself with an attacking Diva.

AJ slammed into him, knocking his breath away as he was slammed against the turnbuckle, and started hammering into his head.

"Back up, AJ! The fight hasn't started!" The referee scolded as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her away from the dazed superstar, who still hadn't even been able to take off his shirt.

"I'm okay... I'm okay..." AJ breathed heavily with her hands up, showing that she was stopping.

The referee looked from AJ to Dolph, who was now mad and had taken off his shirt, his fingers flexing as he got ready to fight the woman. He then nodded and signaled for the bell to ring. As soon as it did, AJ was back on Dolph, hammering away at him.

"Get off!" Dolph yelled as he threw her off of him, the Diva rolling back and smiling evilly at him, wiping her arm on her mouth.

"Kitty got claws..." She slowly said, getting up as Dolph stared at her.

"You're insane." Dolph noted, which only made her smile.

"You know it, bro..."

With that she attacked him once more, catching him with a kick straight to the gut, then sliding herself easily into her submission, the Black Widow.

"You quitting, Dolph?" The referee asked, his hand pointed at Dolph as he struggled to get her off.

Then, he did the one thing he knew he could do right now, and slammed AJ's back against the very turnbuckle that AJ had attacked him against. She groaned as the back of her head smacked against the turnbuckle, Dolph jumping away as she crumpled onto the floor.

"See what I meant, AJ?" He asked as he got up, smirking as she glared at him, holding the back of her head.

"No. I don't, Dolphie." She sneered, and suddenly lunged at him once more, but he was ready, side-stepping her and propelling her to slam her shoulder against the opposite turnbuckle. "Damn..." She breathed at the pain, then looked up to find herself eye-level with Ryback.

But before she could say anything, do anything, or ask anything, Dolph had grabbed her and put her in a sleeper hold. He had figured out that the easiest and less harmful way to subdue the diva was just that, knowing that if he made any wrong move, it could be his job.

"Ry-Ry!" AJ yelled, and before Dolph could even turn around, he had been clotheslined and the disqualification bell had been rung.

AJ had fallen to he floor as she took large gulps of air, not liking how quickly the match had been turned against her. "Destroy him." She glared at Dolph as she said this, Ryback nodding as he set to work.

"Don't _ever_ mess with AJ again." Ryback sneered as he grabbed Dolph by the hair, glaring as Dolph stared into his eyes, finding more than malicious intent hidden inside.

**So sorry that I have not been able to update in a while, school swamped me and earlier today Fanfiction just would not cooperate. Anyways, you can expect more AJ vs Superstar matches and you can tell me who'd you to see.**

**Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Bro, are you sure you didn't go on Ziggler too hard last night?" Zack quietly asked into the phone, eyes glancing from the muted television to his sleeping roommate every few seconds.

Even though he wasn't going to be fighting for the time being, he still had to travel with the company, for publicity's sake. And now he was rooming with Miz yet again, the older man knocked out after the tiring day he had had.

_"Maybe. He hurt AJ, Ryder. There's no way that he didn't deserve that."_ Ryback growled back, rubbing his eyes in his room after being woken up in the middle of the night.

But he hadn't been woken up by Zack, no, it had been AJ, once again begging to find a name for their team. In the middle of her yelling at him for them being called the Vampires his phone had rung, which quieted down the woman as he answered.

_"Who is it, Ry-Ry? The Shield? Vickie?"_ Zack heard AJ's voice bounce through the speaker, along with Ryback's growl.

_"The Shield are right next door and Vickie's visiting Chavo, AJ. You know this. It's Zack."_ Ryback answered, which got Zack to smile.

He was _never_ going to understand the dynamics between the two. While Ryback was cold and rambunctious, attacking whenever he saw an opportunity, AJ was the complete opposite. She was fiery and planned everything out, even before you knew you were on her hit list.

_"Ooh! Hi, Zacky! Can you tell Ry-Ry we should be called Team AJ?" _

Zack could just imagine her trying to steal Ryback's phone from him, all the while he glared at her and moved it out of her reach.

_"My name's the best name we can use!"_

_"Any name is better than Team AJ! What are we, Twilight fans?!" _Ryback growled through the phone, which made Zack's smile falter.

The big man was getting mad.

_"No! ... Well... Maybe, but that's not the point! We need a team name!" _AJ had snapped back, and Zack swore to himself as Miz shifted in his sleep, mumbling to himself about getting revenge.

"Guys, please, shut up!" Zack hissed into the phone, staring as Miz moved around in the bed.

_"Why don't you just get out of the room, Zack? It's not like you'll get attacked in the middle of the night."_

Somehow AJ had grabbed Ryback's phone, which meant that the behemoth was now yelling and swearing as AJ ran around the room.

Zack only shook his head and threw the covers off of him, putting his phone down as he slipped into a Miz hoodie; gift/prank from the man himself; then walked out of the room with his phone to his cheek, dressed in some Transformers pajama bottoms, his jacket, and fuzzy bunny slippers. Which were a gift from Dolph Ziggler.

"Fine, I'm outside the room. You know what? I'm going to head out and eat something, seeing how you drove me out of my own room!" Zack harshly told AJ, who was now beaming at the ceiling.

_"Aw, but Zacky, I just conquered Ryback! See, I'm sitting on his back as he glares up dangerously at me!"_

Zack shook his head as he walked through the long hallway, making his way to the elevator to find a vending machine.

"Doesn't matter AJ. I just called to make sure that you two were okay." Zack informed as he looked from hallway to hallway at the end of his own, seeing if there was a vending machine on either side.

_"Well, we're alive and well and Ryback still hasn't killed me or any of the Shield members, so I guess were alright." _AJ informed, which made Zack smile once more.

"Okay. Well, call me whenever, just be sure that you're alone." Zack told him, getting inside the elevator as he sought the machines that were filled with candy.

_"You just make sure you're alone when you answer. Buh-bye, Z-Z Top."_

"Bye." And with that they both hung up, leaving Zack to shove his phone inside the pocket of his hoodie.

He ran a hand through his hair, finding it easier than any other time because it wasn't gelled up, just left in its natural loose self.

"Now to find Skittles." He muttered to himself, stepping off of the elevator to find the multi-colored candy.

He spent a good fifteen minutes wandering around the hotel, going around in circles at times because he was sleepy and got himself lost almost six times. But, just when he was about to call it quits and head back to his room he managed to find an old vending machine, dusty and barely full.

But, to his glee, it had one bag of Skittles left and he pounced at the chance, placing a one dollar bill and smiling widely as the bright red bag fell, leaving him to grab it.

"Come to papa." He said as he opened it, just to have the bag snatched out of his hand. "Hey! What's the big deal, bro?!" He asked, turning around to come fact to face with his friend, Dolph Ziggler.

The blonde was smirking at the bag in his hands, throwing it from side to side as he smirked at the younger man.

"Is that any way to talk to your friends, Ryder? I thought you were taught better!" Dolph joked, making Zack smile back at him.

"Of course, bro. But you don't mess with my Skittles!"

Dolph nodded and gave them back, his smile leaving him and replaced with a frown. "Zack, can I talk to you seriously?" Dolph asked as Zack opened his bag, throwing a purple skittle into his mouth.

"Sure thing, bro. Walking or Sitting?" Zack asked, offering Dolph a yellow treat.

"Whichever, really." Dolph answered, taking the offer and throwing it into his mouth.

He and Zack had a weird friendship, to tell the truth. While Dolph was a bad guy it was frowned upon to have friends like Zack, but the Long Island native would not shake and insisted on keeping their friendship. And Dolph was now glad he had kept the friendship, especially because he saw the real Zack, not only the annoying Broski that he portrayed to the millions of fans and even to his own co-workers.

Both men walked in silence for a while, Zack happily munching on his candies as Dolph mulled over his own thoughts, wondering he was to say what he wanted to.

"What did you want to talk about, bro?" Zack asked, offering Dolph yet another yellow treat.

Dolph smiled slightly, mostly because this is what always happened when Zack eat the candy. He would give either the yellow or orange ones to Dolph, eating the green, purple, and red himself.

"Thanks." Dolph mumbled, then swallowed his pride and asked, "How long have you been seeing AJ?"

Zack choked on a red skittle, smacking his chest with his right hand as he stared up at Dolph with wide eyes. The other man was stony faced, not a single emotion show.

"I'm not seeing AJ, bro. Why would you think that?"

Dolph looked around the hallway, most probably to make sure that no one would overhear them, and answered, "Well, first of all, ever since you got your push I've barely seen you around the backstage area. I didn't think much of it, I mean, you're finally winning matches again! But just yesterday, in my match with AJ she said something very Broski like."

Zack slowly freaked out internally, but still stared coolly at Dolph, trying to maintain his outward composure.

"She said 'you know it, bro'. Normally, I wouldn't think much of it," Dolph shrugged, then looked Zack directly in the eyes. "But both her and Ryback have been showing some Zack traits: finishing some sentences with bro, smiling your evil smirk, even going as far as calling something sick; AJ more than Ryback, but," Now Dolph glared, "_You've_ also shown some traits from both Ryback and AJ."

Zack shook his head, trying his best to steer this conversation in a way that would convenience him, "Bro, people grow. You should know this."

Now Dolph grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie, frowning deeply, "Ryder, you're playing a _very_ dangerous game. A game where people will get hurt, people will lose their trust in you, and a game where you will _undoubtedly_ _lose._"

Zack pushed Dolph off of him, glaring darkly at him, "I'm not playing at any game, bro. Maybe instead of me having to take a rest from the ring action, maybe it should be you. All those hits to the head are making you delusional."

With that Zack turn around, walking away from Dolph.

"This is a game you'll lose, Ryder! Just don't come crying to me when your heart's broken by AJ!"

Zack shook his head as he waited for the elevator, already knowing that this would be exactly what would happen when he came out with his team. Everyone would hate him.

He glared darkly as he entered, pushing the button to his floor rather harshly.

"I'll just have to learn to deal with it."

**Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

After the conversation with Dolph, Zack decided it would be best to keep it a secret, not wanting the blonde to get attacked by AJ once more. Even though he knew they weren't going to be on speaking terms, Zack had a heart and he still felt that their friendship could be helped.

Now a few days had passed and it was Friday Night SmackDown, and he was sitting in a hotel room with the Shield. He had come to know the Shield in a better light over the past few days, and found some very interesting things out.

Like how Seth was basically a male and a bit more mature version of AJ, jumping up the walls and driving Roman insane, even though the Samoan didn't really show it. And Roman himself seemed to share a few characteristics with Ryback. He was quiet and calculating, but the strength factor wasn't the only one that united him to the human wrecking crew.

No, the major factor was his devotion to Seth Rollins, going as far as to threatening even Vickie Guerrero to ensure the sprite's well being.

"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" Seth sang as he jumped over Zack, laughing as AJ flew over the Broski as well.

"Stop running around the room!" Vickie screeched, glaring at the blurs that were AJ Lee and Seth Rollins, but they did not.

"Is this something normal?" Zack asked Roman, who only shrugged.

"Seth and AJ seem to be compatible. He's never had a play mate before." Roman informed him, which made Zack nod as he went back to watch the small game.

"Don't break anything..." Dean mumbled as he read a magazine, completely uninterested in whatever the hyperactive members of their group were doing.

"This place is turning into a mess!" Vickie announced as she walked back into the room after having left to answer a call from Mr. McMahon himself.

"Yes, yes, we know, Victoria." Dean dragged out, rolling his eyes as she glared nastily at him. "Now what's the news from the boss man?"

Vickie turned away from him, deciding that he wasn't worth her anger, and spoke to Zack and Roman, who were watching as AJ and Seth rolled around on the floor in an impromptu wrestling match.

"Zack, Roman, you two seem to be the only people here with brains," There was a growl from Ryback, who had been bound and gagged at the other end of the room by AJ and Seth, and a conspiratory smirk from Dean, who just continued reading his magazine. "So I'll tell you the news Mr. McMahon gave me."

At her last words AJ jumped off of Seth, gasping, "Mr. McMahon?" And with that she ran to Roman, hugging him tightly as she sat on his lap.

Vickie just raised an eyebrow at the action, not very surprised by AJ anymore, and nodded, "That was whom I was on the phone with, AJ." She spoke as if she were talking to a child, then turned back to Zack and Roman, "Vince was telling me about how the last pay per view brought in so much money that he wants to make this one more explosive."

Both men nodded, then AJ asked, "How are we going to make it more _explosivo_?"

Vickie smiled, evil and plotting, and answered, "Easy, Zack's going to betray Miz and Punk in their six man tag team match."

Zack was shocked, knowing that the nearest pay per view was next Sunday, and asked, "Are you sure, Vickie? I thought we were going to do it in the next PPV."

"That was the plan, initially, yes." Vickie acknowledged, smiling because she now had the attention of everyone on the room.

Seth was sitting in between Roman and Zack, after having wormed his way in, and was slightly glaring, slightly staring at him, while Ryback and Dean just stared, faces void of any emotions.

"But now Mr. McMahon has agreed with me and you coming out now would be what is best for business." Vickie finished, which made Zack's jaw drop.

"You told him?" Zack gasped, his anger slowly starting to rise as the three Shield members got up, glaring intently at her.

Vickie, feeling the hostility in the room directed solely at her, explained, "Mr. McMahon is the owner of the WWE, guys. He was bound to find about you, so I just swayed him to our side."

She took a step back as the Hounds of Justice advanced on her, and Zack asked, "What did he say? Are we fired?"

The three men stopped advancing as she shook her head, eyes actually filled with a tamed sort of fear. "You're not fired! He loves the idea! The Black Widow and the Silverback, united with the Long Island Iced Z to take down the top guys from the WWE! And not only that, add the Shield and he said it was a guaranteed cash maker!" She had voiced it in a desperate tone, but Seth, Roman, and Dean had all heard it as if she was defying them.

"We don't care about the money, Vickie! You gave the secret away to Vince!" Seth yelled.

"Snitching secrets is a big no no in our books, Victoria." Dean informed, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"Whoah! No attacking, guys!" AJ was suddenly in front of Vickie, arms in front of her to halt the Shield's advance.

"Why, AJ?" Zack now asked, standing beside Roman. "She opened up her big mouth and Vince now knows about us! For all we know he's already thinking up of someone to take us down!"

"Would you listen to the woman for once in your life?! You three are about to attack a woman, and one older than thirty no less! What is wrong with you?!" AJ yelled, snapping the three men out of whatever trance they had been in.

They finally noticed that Vickie wasn't trying to be defiant, she was afraid and worried over her well being, which made the three men feel bad. She had been nothing but nice to them since they joined AJ, Ryback, and Zack, and they were going to repay her by beating her up. Just because she tried to find a way to make them an even bigger and more important stable.

While they felt disgusted with themselves, Zack shook his own head, mixed feelings and thoughts running rampant in his head. Had he really just felt hate towards one of the few women who had given him more than punishment and hate?

"She's trying to help us, you guys! I know it's new for you, seeing how you got your start by defying Mr. McMahon, but you have to trust in Vickie! She's been at this for a very long time!" AJ's eyes were wide and almost wild, not wanting any harm to come to the woman who had somehow placed herself in the position of her best friend.

"Sorry, Vickie..." Seth mumbled, shaking his head. "I guess we overreacted. Whenever any secret get out, we just..."

"No need to apologize, you guys." Vickie told him, smiling sadly, "I should've run this by you before I did anything."

Zack was still feeling disgusted at himself, but he had to ask, "What's going to happen now, Vickie? I come out and what?"

Vickie placed a hand on AJ's shoulder; the woman was still shielding Vickie behind her smaller body, glaring at the men in the room; and said, "Your match will be a draw after you attack both your teammates, performing that finisher you all came up with, then AJ and Ryback will appear, coming out as the newest stable in the WWE."

Zack nodded, and sat down, feeling queasy at the news. This was it. He was going to turn on one of his best friends in the business and on one of the best wrestlers there was. No biggie.

"Do we have a team name or...?" AJ asked, which made everyone in the room groan.

"Again with the name!" Seth exclaimed, looking at the ceiling in exasperation.

"I want Team AJ to be our name! It'd be better than being body armor!" AJ bit back, which made him growl.

"Take that back!"

"You can't make me!"

"Children, shut up!" Dean yelled, stopping an argument between the two of them before it started.

They both just stuck their tongues out at him, all the while Vickie smiled, amused at the scene. It was... _interesting_ how they could all just go back to normal after almost turning on their manager.

"Well, AJ, to answer your question, Mr. McMahon and I did come up with a name for you." Vickie informed, only to find AJ clinging onto her.

"What is it? What is it?"

"Simple really. A name so overused yet so unknown that it'll instantly be cherished."

"What is it, woman?" Dean growled, "Can't you see they're about to explode!?"

Vickie smirked at him, and said, "The Justice Syndicate."

**I'm still a bit shaky on the name, but if you like it, it'll be their official name. Please review your thoughts on the chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Okay, Bros, we've been waiting for this moment for some time now." Zack spoke to CM Punk and Miz, who were both sitting, either taping up their wrists or just psyching themselves up for their match.

"I've wanted to beat up the Shield since they got here." Punk admitted, smirking as Miz nodded with him.

"And I've wanted to get them since they attacked you, Zack. That was really uncalled for."

Zack smiled widely at the confession from the older man, and told them, "Well, I guess we're ready for them."

"No, we're not." Punk sighed, getting up to stand before Zack. "We're just a rag tag trio that united to face the Shield. We know how this story ends. The Shield wins."

Zack pursed his lips at Punk's mood, and told him, "Bro, they may have a solidarity only known and comprehended by them, but we have something better." He said, now speaking to Miz too.

"I sense a speech coming on." Miz said, leaning back on the bench as he smirked.

"You know it, bro!" Zack smiled, pointing at him. "Sure, we're not as big as Ryback or Mark Henry, we can't face Roman's strength by ourselves, and sure we don't have the speed and agility that Kofi or Rey possess,"

"Some speech." Punk muttered, looking at Zack with unrestricted boredom.

"You haven't let me finish, bro!" Zack was still smiling widely, even though on the inside he felt like screaming. "We don't have strength, that amazing high flying speed, nor the brotherhood the Shield possesses, but we have something better!"

"And what is that, oh Gracious Leader?" Miz asked, interested in Zack's next words.

"We have an unparalleled arrogance and a pride that will not let us tap out or get pinned! We won't allow them to beat us unless they've proven their worth and left our bodies broken!"

Miz nodded in agreement at this, while Punk smiled at the younger man. "You've got a point, Zack." Punk admitted.

"I know it, bro! You see, I've _never_ seen anyone go through the hell you've put your body through; Brock Lesnar, John Cena, now Heyman and Axle!" Punk smirked, seeing Zack's point. "You don't give up until you're bloody and beaten, and even then, you fight on! And you, Miz!" Now Zack was facing the Most Must See Superstar on Television, making the man smile as he waited for his description. "You're so arrogant that you get inside people's heads! You don't show any weakness and when you do, it's to deceive your opponents!"

"I do tend to trick people..."

"And I; while still a bit new here compared to you guys; will _not_ give up! I won't stop until one of the Shield members is pinned or has tapped out! Their reign of terror is over! It's about time Superstars don't have to worry about getting attacked by men in black whenever they come to work!"

"You're right!" Punk yelled, standing up on the bench, grabbing both men's attention. "The Shield went too far attacking you, Broski, and we'll make them regret it. We may not communicate as well as them, but that doesn't matter, we have each other's backs and we won't stop until we've won! It's now not only our pride, but also our reputation! I'm not about to be another guy that has lost to the Shield!"

"No!" Miz and Zack chorused, throwing their fists in the air.

"You two sure as hell aren't going to be the guys to get pinned!"

"No!"

"And we're going to prove all those pencil pushers up in management wrong! We're going to beat the Shield and they're going to have to accept it!"

"Yeah!"

Now Miz and Zack were high fiving, fired up to defeat the men that had caused the whole locker room so much pain.

And just as Punk stepped down from the bench, someone knocked on the door, leaving the men to freeze as they looked at it.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Vince asked as he poked his head through the door, making the men sigh in both relief and embarrassment.

How had they gotten so riled up?

"No, Bro, not at all." Zack answered, giving the older man a shaky smile.

Vince returned it as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Well, I heard your little moment from outside," The men groaned, which made him chuckle, then continued, "And I would like to tell you that this match has now become a Winner-Takes-All match. Whoever wins gets both the Tag Team Titles and the United States Championship.

Miz smacked Punk as he smiled, eyes filled with the gold they might win now.

"That's awesome, sir! Thank you for telling us!" Punk spluttered out, to which Vince nodded.

"Good, good, now get back to stretching. You guys are on after AJ and Ryback's match. Zack, may I have word with you?"

The Broski; after receiving the news; had stayed quiet and frozen, thinking over the new piece of information. The Titles were up for grabs now. It would mean the world to both Miz and Punk to have a belt back in their hands, any belt really... Geez, as if it wasn't hard enough already.

"Zack?" Punk asked, breaking Zack out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, sure thing, Sir." Zack mumbled as he zipped up his Miz hoodie and walked out of the room, Vince waving at the men as he closed the door.

As soon as it was close, Miz turned to Punk, scowl in place, "Punk, I'm worried about Zack."

The taller man only raised an eyebrow, silently telling him to continue, which Miz did. "He's been way more quiet about stuff now, he doesn't smile as much as he used to, and just now, he called Vince Sir instead of Bro."

Punk shrugged, "It could a slump he's in, Miz. It happens to the best of us."

"Yeah, that would've made sense if he wasn't getting a push, Punk. Thing is that he's basically on the best game he's been in a while, everyone's rooting for him, and he acts happy. He's not in a slump, but something's eating away at him."

Punk only rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as the smaller man nodded to himself. "And I'm going to find out what it is."

* * *

"What is it you want to talk about, sir?" Zack asked as soon as Vince had closed the door to his office, leaving both men seemingly trapped in the small room.

"It has come to my attention that you will be turning on your teammates tonight. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Vince asked, getting straight to the point.

Zack gulped, doing his best to squash down his insecurities, and answered, "I believe I am."

Vince smiled, smacking his hand on Zack's shoulder, which was slightly quivering. "Good boy. It's about time those two loudmouths had their asses handed to them."

The younger man did his best to not bite back at the man, instead breathing in deeply and asking, "Is there anything else, Mr. McMahon?"

"Yes, actually, there is something I need you to... _know._" Vince sat down at his desk, hands clasped in front of him. "You will be turning your back to the WWE Universe and all the Faces of the WWE. You will quickly become one of the most hated men in this business. Not only will you be aligned with Ryback; whom most people can't stand; but also the Shield and AJ Lee, four of our most controversial Superstars."

"I know this, Mr. McMahon. I thought about all of this before I agreed to joining AJ." Zack informed, slowly sitting down in front of the elder man.

"I had thought this, Zack, but it's my job to make sure you know what you're getting into. Now, I have a proposition for you and your teammates, and seeing how you seem to be the most beloved member of your group, I wanted to bring it to your attention." Vince informed him, which intrigued Zack.

"What is it, Sir?"

"How would you feel about adding one more Superstar to your team?"

**And the next chapter shall be the big fight! Don't worry, I'll make sure that the new superstar has all the necessary things to join the group.**

**Anyways, please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

This was it. The Miz, Zack Ryder, and CM Punk stood in the ring as the Shield came down through the fans, the people booing loudly with a few cheering at the men in black.

"You ready?" Punk asked Zack as he rolled his neck, bouncing in place to get fired up.

"Heck yeah, bro." Zack answered confidently, jutting his chin up as Seth Rollins smirked at him. "I got two tones."

"Come at me, bro." Seth mocked, motioning to the man, and the match began.

* * *

AJ Lee, Ryback, and Vickie Guerrero stood in their private locker room as the bell rang, watching as Zack and Seth locked up.

"You think they can pull this off?" AJ asked, nervously pulling and tugging at her hair as she saw the younger man kick Zack's gut. "I mean, is the Shield trustworthy enough? For all we know, they could've been stringing us along this whole time."

Ryback crossed his arms as he breathed in deeply, understanding AJ's worries. "Don't worry, AJ." Vickie answered for him, placing a hand on the Diva's shoulder. "They have not done anything to fill our heads of these doubts, AJ. They are just into the idea of getting revenge against John Cena, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and anyone else that has hurt both you and them. They will not screw this up."

AJ nodded as she breathed in, trying to calm down. "Besides, Seth has grown on you and you on him, so I don't think they'd throw away your crazy friendship for this."

The younger looked at Ryback, seemingly looking for assurance, and the man only nodded calmly, turning his attention back to the screen once more. "Let's root for them."

Now Zack had Seth in the right position for the Broski boot, and he was doing his fist pump, accompanied by Miz, Punk, and the rest of the WWE universe.

"Get him, Z-Z Top!" AJ yelled, only to groan in disappointment as Dean pulled Seth out of the way at the last moment, causing Zack to get his legs caught between the middle ropes.

Which Dean then used to his advantage, pulling his legs down against both the ropes and apron, leaving the Broski to yell in pain and Punk to jump at Dean, who was promptly rescued by Roman. As Zack recoiled into the ring, holding onto his legs, Miz jumped on Roman's back, pummeling the back of his head as Dean and Punk exchanged blows.

Seth slithered into the ring, smirking evilly at the older man who was too intent on his legs to notice him, but inside he was wondering if Dean had accidently hurt him. Quickly jumping the man, he hooked one of his legs and quietly asked, "You okay?"

The referee slammed his hand against the canvas, counting to one, but Zack quickly kicked out, muttering a yes as he did so. Both men got up and started exchanging blows, Zack gaining the upper hand this time, pushing Seth against the turnbuckle and climbing the ropes, delivering ten punches to the top of his head.

"Look out!" Someone suddenly yelled behind them, then Zack found himself narrowly dodging Dean Ambrose, who had been thrown at them by CM Punk.

"Get him, bro!" Zack yelled at his friend, seemingly directing traffic as the Second City Saint passed him and jumped on both men, causing them to groan as Dean fell back and Seth leaned against the turnbuckle.

Then Punk and Seth exchanged fist bumps, hoisted both men up, and threw them out of the ring, missing Miz by an inch and nicking Roman with Seth's body.

"Suicide Dive?" Punk asked, smirking at the broski who fist bumped.

"You know it, bro." Zack answered, then both men ran to the opposite ropes, only to dive straight into the three men, who were slowly staggering up.

_"They're insane, King! CM Punk and Zack Ryder have lost whatever mental stability they could have had with that Suicide Dive!"_ Michael Cole exclaimed, to which AJ agreed.

"What is Z-Z thinking? We need him whole when he gets out of this!" She screamed, all the while King told Cole that this is what the group of three needed to take on the Shield.

Ryback, in the meantime, was frowning, forming his own doubts. Zack wouldn't betray them, right?

Miz went to help Punk and Zack stand up, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the Shield members got up, and helped Zack into the ring, even though the referee wouldn't be counting, seeing how this was a no D.Q match.

"Tag me in." The Ohio native told the man with the spiked hair, who only nodded as he staggered towards his corner.

Punk was already there, a bit out of breath because of the dive, but not yet as beaten as Zack. The youngest man there tagged in the Miz, who enthusiastically went against Dean Ambrose, who had also been tagged in. They exchanged blows for quite a while, Miz getting the advantage and propelling Dean towards the ropes, crouching to grab him for a flapjack.

But Roman knew this would happen, and because it was too late for him to stop Dean, just smacked the man's back, signaling the tag as Dean was thrown over Miz, the other man quickly climbing on top for the pin. But the referee only signaled that a tag had been made, making Miz smack the canvas in frustration, getting up to only be met with a spear.

"Damn it!" Punk yelled as Roman went to cover the smaller man, running inside the ring to break it up.

Roman glared at the Chicagoan as he got up, Miz panting heavily as he recoiled from the spear. "You're going to pay for that." Roman pointed at Punk, who only raised his arms in mock innocence.

"Who, me?" Punk asked, pointing to himself, getting up to only be met by a flying knee from Rollins.

Both men rolled far from the legal people in the ring, both Zack and Dean down from the beating they had taken, leaving the freshest fighters in the middle.

"Is it time?" AJ curiously asked Vickie as she peered up from Ryback's shoulders, having hidden behind the man when Miz got inside the ring.

"I don't know. Only they can know when it is." Vickie answered, making AJ groan in frustration.

Roman grabbed onto Miz's hair, hoisting him up and throwing him against the turnbuckle nearest to him, unleashing a flurry of punches onto the loud mouth. Then he got him to the top and climbed up after him, preparing for a super-plex. But Zack, in a moment of fear and admitted confusion, ran to them and pushed Roman off, grabbing Miz and throwing him to his own turnbuckle.

"What are you doing?" Roman groaned as he got up, already ready to pummel the smaller man's face in.

Zack only slapped him in the face and ran to his own side of the ring, tagging in and going back to the Samoan. "Just follow my lead." Zack mumbled as he threw the Samoan against the ropes and making him fall out of the ring. Zack looked around the ring, taking in Miz's battered form as he leaned against the ropes, Dean and Seth as they panted against their own ropes, and Punk was nowhere to be found, mostly because he had been taken care of by Dean.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!" Zack yelled with each fist pump, pointing at Roman who staggered onto the apron, the WWE universe joining him.

But to the surprise of everyone there, he didn't do anything to the Samoan, and instead turned to his tag team partner, leaving him shocked as the Broski's smirked turned evil.

"Get him!" Zack yelled, getting smirks from the Shield as Seth and Dean rushed past him, Roman sliding into the ring.

Miz's eyes were wide as he was dogged on by the two, quickly overpowered and thrown into the ring, where Zack placed his foot on his face.

"Thought you would win, huh?" Zack asked, feeling torn inside as Miz looked up at him with betrayed eyes.

"They're doing it!" AJ squealed as she threw Ryback to the side, running to the television to stand right in front of it.

"What-" Miz breathed in, panting. "Are you... Doing?"

Zack only shrugged, running his foot against Miz's face to then turn around. "Grab him."

The crowd was stunned silent at the events, but started booing as soon as they saw how Dean and Seth hoisted Miz up, Roman preparing for the power bomb. Zack leaned coolly against the ropes as he watched his friend get thrown against the canvas, bouncing a little to coil into himself.

"Ryder! What are you doing?" Punk growled as he climbed into the ring, glaring at the sight before him.

And now Zack smirked to Seth, an evil idea passing through their minds. Roman and Dean noticing what they were planning quickly attacked Punk, overpowering him in a few seconds and getting him to the turnbuckle.

"You sure about this?" Dean asked as Zack got Punk to the top, the man following.

Seth climbed up Punk's other side, punching him in the head once more to disable him completely. "Vince wanted a tag finisher with me and Seth. He's going to get it now." Zack answered.

Now the three men were standing precariously on the top rope, the crowd quiet with a few boos riddled inside, most curious as to what the bad guys were going to do now.

"You ready?" Seth asked as his left hand grasped Punk's left shoulder, throwing his right hand over his shoulder.

"Ready as I'll ever be, bro." Zack breathed in as he copied Seth, throwing Punk's left hand over his own shoulder and grasping Punk's other shoulder.

"Just don't botch it." Seth smirked evilly, then both men breathed in and jumped, causing a gasp to go through the whole arena.

In the backstage area AJ was biting into a stuffed John Cena doll, ready to rip its head off as she saw her two best friends performing a basically suicidal move. Everyone in the backstage area had been in a fuzz over Zack's recent change, but they were still quiet as they watched, both in awe and fear as the mean performed a shiranui, a move that they had not yet seen been down in this form.

And as soon as Punk landed back first and Seth and Zack rolled out of the way, Roman and Dean quickly ran to the two daredevils, hoisting them up to make sure that not too much damage had been done.

_"You were right, Cole! They're insane!"_ King finally breathed after the two men showed they were alive, but Punk was yet to move, and Miz was slowly getting up.

"Get him... He'll ruin something... I just know it." Zack gasped between pants, holding his stomach as Roman held him up.

Roman's eyes zeroed in on the Ohio native, and without needing anyone lese to tell him anything, he speared the man, getting a large reaction from the crowd. They booed loudly and threw various things, cursing to the heavens at this turn of events.

"Give us a damn mike!" Dean yelled at an unfortunate worker, who only did as told out of fear of what might happen to him.

If they did that to two professional wrestlers...

_"The Syndicate Rules!"_

Ryback's theme song started playing, AJ skipping out to the ring to hug Zack tightly and fuss over him, Ryback and Vickie walking behind her. Dean held the microphone as they reunited, then he signaled the theme song to end and placed it to his mouth.

"As you can see, The Shield has joined Ryback, AJ and Vickie..." Then the boos got louder, getting a smirk from Dean as Zack grabbed the mike from him.

"And let's not forget about me." Zack waited for the boos to die down, and beaten and bruised, cockily told everyone, "We're The Syndicate! And we're here to stay!"

And with that he threw the microphone down, the theme song starting once more as the whole arena went black.

**What do you think? Syndicate a good enough name? And please tell me your thoughts. Please review.**


	15. Chapter 15

"Why did you do this, Zack?" Big Show asked as the younger man glared at the floor, seated on the floor as his hoodie covered his face. "Why in the world did you turn your back against everyone? Your fans, your team? Did you know Miz is now in the hospital because of Roman's spear?"

Show was close to yelling, his anger slowly building up as Zack continued ignoring him.

"Can you not hear me past your ego, Zack!?" He finally exclaimed after Zack brushed him off once more.

"Of course I can fucking hear you, you big oaf!" Zack yelled back, arms wrapped around his knees. "And I know what I did..." He silently added, which made Show smack his forehead.

"You went against everything you believed in, Zack! This is your middle finger to everything that not only you, but all of the _good_ wrestlers have been working for! Do you not feel anything?"

Zack squeezed his eyes tightly at Show's words, feeling an odd mix of anger and sadness at the same time. "So none of the members of the Shield are good wrestlers? Ryback's not good either? How about AJ, she bad, too?"

Big Show's face morphed into one of confusion, saying, "I didn't mean that, Zack... It's just that-"

"You don't think that any of them are good enough, Big Show. I understand." Zack sighed, slowly getting up as he dusted off his pants. "Everyone's a good wrestler until they join a faction. As soon as they do, they suck."

"Now Zack... Where's your team right now? You're sitting in an empty locker room, in an empty arena, with no one but me here." Big Show asked, veering the conversation from that topic.

Zack looked away from him, feeling somewhat empty. It's true. He now stood in the middle of the empty locker room with only Big Show as his company, having it already been hours since he turned on the WWE. He had stayed behind when his friends insisted on going out to party, telling them that he was feeling extremely tired after the match.

"I told them to go ahead and let me go to the hotel..."

Big Show shook his head, ready to give up on Zack. "Wasn't I the one that saved you from the Shield? I thought that you were really in trouble, not plotting to take us down!" Big Show exclaimed, his anger slowly starting once more.

"I wasn't plotting with them then!" Zack yelled back, finally having had enough from Big Show. "They fucking attacked me that time and blackmailed me to meet up with them! After that's when I plotted with them, but that doesn't matter anymore!"

"Why doesn't it matter, Zack? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Now it had turned into a full on argument, with both of them yelling. "I know what I did! Damnit, do you have any idea what it feels like to be a complete loser?"

"Is that why you did it?! Because of two bad years?!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" A new voice suddenly cut in, making both infuriated wrestlers turn to the open door.

There stood Triple H with Vince McMahon, the Game glaring at them both as Vince shook his head in a disappointed manner.

"Zack, I expected a better reaction from you." Vince told him. "You turn down my proposition now you're looking for a fight with the World's Largest Athlete?"

Zack sneered at his boss, turning to the Big Show. "You try having two _consecutive_ bad years, then have someone offer you a way out. When that happens, I'll be able to allow you to judge me."

He then turned to the door, not having to carry any bag because Roman had taken it for him. "Good night." He mumbled, then went to walk out, only to have Triple H grab his arm.

"Kid, you're picking fights with the wrong people." He whispered into Zack's ear, which only got a glare from the Broski.

"No, _you're _the one picking fights with the wrong people. Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Miz, Cody and Dustin Rhodes, and the list continues. When you stop fucking up, I'll start listening to you." Zack hissed back, then brusquely pulled his arm away and started to walk away.

He had stayed behind in the arena to not having to face anyone, yet he had been jumped by not only Big Show, Vince, and Triple H, but a few minutes before he had been confronted by Randy Orton, telling him he had done the right thing. But, the thing was, that he felt like crap before, but even more after Orton told him that.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" He asked himself as he walked out of the arena, looking up at the sky as it thundered rather loudly. "I had the dollar signs in my eyes and now my best friend's in the hospital and everyone hates me."

He knew it was about to start raining, but he still pushed on, bringing his jacket closer to him as the light rainfall started. He didn't mind it, really, seeing how it helped calm his frazzled nerves, but his mind was still travelling at a thousand miles an hour.

"You freaking screw up... You had it good with Miz and the rest. At least you knew they liked you." He muttered to himself, finally admitting his doubts about his new alliance. "You don't know if AJ and the rest like you or are just tolerating you for the time being."

The rain slowly became more intense; unknown to Zack; until it was hitting the ground with so much force that it sounded like a tiny army stampeding. Lighting and thunder was all that filled the environment, all of the people gone and hidden inside their homes.

"But they seem nice enough... It's not like they'll throw you to the dogs now, right?"

"Zack, is that you?" The question was unheard to him, his thoughts and the rain too loud for him to hear anything.

"I'm the reason they got so far... But what if they're just stringing me along?"

"Zack Ryder! Stop ignoring me!" This time the yell was louder, but the man didn't turn, still oblivious to anyone calling him.

"Maybe... Just maybe..."

"God dammit!" Finally whoever it was that had been yelling honked her horn, causing Zack to jump and turn around.

Behind him was a slick black Hummer with its headlights turned on, pointing directly at him. "Who's there?!" He yelled over the rain, finally noticing just how bad the weather had gotten.

"The Bellas, you idiot! Now get in the car!" The loud and commanding voice of Nikki Bella yelled at him, causing him to immediately obey, running to the truck and jumping inside the back seat.

The girls were lucky enough to have seat covers and extra blankets in their car, especially because Zack was shivering as soon as he closed the door, the air conditioning hitting him full force.

"God, are you an idiot, Ryder?" Brie asked as she turned on the heater, passing some towels to him. "What are you doing out at this hour, anyways?"

Zack shakily thanked her for the towel, wrapping it up tightly around him as he did so, then looked at her, eyes wide and teary as he told her, "I stayed at the arena till now. I didn't know it was going to rain so hard."

Nikki rolled her eyes at the answer and started the car, easing her way onto the freeway to get to her hotel. "I'm staying at a different hotel from you guys." Zack mumbled, looking away from Brie's intense gaze. "I'm sure I'll be okay if you leave me a few miles away."

Brie shook her head, looking straight at the road. "We're not letting you get sick on the biggest night of your life, Zack. You'll just stay with us until the rain stops."

When she had made eye contact with Zack she had seen so many swirling emotions, anger and sadness being the main two, that she really wasn't sure of what to think.

"You don't have to do that. Seriously, I won't get sick from only a few drops." Zack insisted, even though he knew it would be futile.

"Zack, you're going with us and that's the end of it." Nikki finalized, glaring at him through the rear view mirror.

The man only huffed and crossed his arms, even though he was quietly shivering and thanking whatever God for having these two women find him.

The car ride was quiet and filled with hushed thoughts and hummed music until they reached the Bella's hotel, were both their boyfriends were waiting for them. Zack grabbed their luggage for them, feeling that he had to pay them back in some way, which just added to Brie's unease. If he was this nice, why was he in cahoots with AJ and the rest?

"John? Bryan?" Nikki called as she entered the room, leaving Brie with Zack outside as she spoke with them.

"Don't worry about it Zack, if anyone can control men, it's Nikki." Brie told him, smiling as the younger man held his head down.

He said nothing, but jumped slightly as soon as John's boisterous voice screamed out, "What? He's here?!"

Only a few seconds after John was standing in front of the door, glaring down at Zack as Brie hid him behind her body. Daniel was only a few seconds behind John, then Nikki was behind both of them, scolding them for acting like children.

"You have some nerve being here." John glared at who used to be his best friend, ignoring the yells that came from his girlfriend.

Brie looked back at Zack, wondering if he would say anything, but when he said nothing, she took up the opportunity. "And you have some nerve to treat him like that! This is Zack's night and you will not screw it up! If you two have any problems with him staying with me and Nikki, you can just go look for another room!"

John glared down at her, but Daniel decided to step back, knowing better than to get in a fight with her, and angrily walked back to the beds, sitting down with a book covering his face.

"John?" Nikki growled in a warning tone, causing him to curse mentally and do the same as Daniel. "You okay?" Nikki asked Zack as soon as John was gone.

"I knew this was a bad idea."

"Nonsense! They'll behave." Brie promised, then lightly pushed him inside. "Now get in there and have a warm shower. I'll have clothes ready for you."

**Please review.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Z-Z Top?" AJ asked curiously as the door softly closed behind the man, who seemed to have had a long night with barely any sleep.

Zack looked up at her, bags forming underneath his eyes, showing her a broken smile.

"What's up, AJ?" Zack asked, unzipping his oversized hoodie to reveal torn and broken clothing.

"Oh my God! What happened to you?" AJ jumped out of her bed and ran to him, waking everyone in the room.

The whole group had ended up in the same hotel room, with Vickie and AJ sharing a bed, Dean and Seth sharing the other, and Roman and Ryback having been kicked to the floor with thin blankets.

"What's wrong?" Dean groggily asked as he rubbed at his eyes, sitting up as he tried to adjust to the mild sunlight that entered the room.

"Zack's hurt!" AJ exclaimed, poking and prodding at the man as he tried to swat her hands away.

He had a few cuts on his face, along with bruises and cuts all over his body. His pants were tattered and splattered with a bit of blood, and this quickly alerted AJ that nothing was fine with the man.

"What do you mean he's hurt?" Seth asked, eyes wide as he now hastily put on his shirt to check on Zack.

"I mean that he looks like cupcakes and rainbows!" AJ hissed sarcastically, glaring at her best friend. "What do you think I mean, you dolt?"

"Geez, no need to be so mean." Seth muttered, walking towards the door of the hotel, only to gasp and widen his eyes as he saw Zack's current condition.

"Dude, what happened to you?" He asked, rushing to the older man and starting to check him over himself.

Zack only groaned as both AJ and Seth busied over him, a pounding headache barely letting him think things over.

"You two, leave the man alone." Dean commanded, standing from the bed and walking towards them.

He was slightly surprised when he saw the other man's condition, but stayed firm and glared as AJ and Seth tried to argue with him.

"But he's hurt, Dean!" AJ gasped, glaring at him too.

"We have to get him to a hospital!" Seth agreed, making Dean roll his eyes.

"Ryback. Roman." He called, only for the hulking men to appear behind him in a few seconds. "Please separate the two from Zack."

Both men did as told, Ryback grabbing AJ by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder as she punched, kicked, and cursed at him, all the while Roman just threw Seth back to his own bed.

"Vickie. Get here." Dean instructed, walking towards Zack as the man closed his eyes and groaned.

"Is it serious?" Vickie asked him, getting out of her bed as AJ beat on Roman and Ryback's chests, walking towards them.

"I don't think so." Dean answered, grabbing Zack's chin to inspect him further. "Cuts and bruises, he's bleeding a bit, but I don't think anything's broken."

Zack lazily opened his eyes, managed to give Dean a hollow glare, then looked at Vickie. "I'm okay, you know. Just need to sleep a little."

Vickie looked him over, and nodded, deciding that it was the best course of action that they could take. "When you wake up you're telling us all that happened, though." She said, to which Zack only nodded.

"Anything if I can finally sleep some." Was all that Zack said before he slumped against Dean's body, eyes closed as he was finally able to rest.

"We should take him to the hospital now that he's asleep! Less resisting!" AJ piped up as Dean picked up Zack's body, taking in how small he looked right now.

"We're not taking him to any hospital, AJ." Dean growled, walking towards Vickie's bed and placing the man on it.

"Dean." Roman said, grabbing the man's attention. "Maybe these two are right. We don't know what happened to him or how seriously hurt he could be."

Dean groaned, rubbing his face with his hand, then glared at the three of them. "Do you not understand that if anyone finds out that Zack's already hurt we could lose our credibility? Not only that, but everyone will think that the way to get to us would be through Zack, and he'd get hurt worse than this."

AJ pouted at this bit of information, all the while Roman nodded solemnly and Seth frowned. Seeing the disdain the craziest members had with this course of action, Dean sighed and said, "If it makes it better, we'll take him to the Trainer's tomorrow.

Both AJ and Seth seemed happy with this because of their smiles, so Dean turned back to Zack as Vickie excused herself to make some phone calls. He didn't like the fact that Zack had been attacked, but he _hated_ the fact that this could've been avoided if Zack had just manned up and gone with them to celebrate instead of trying to act like a lone wolf.

"Well, guess we'll just have to wait now." Ryback muttered as he sat down in the sofa behind him, AJ flying over to Zack as she was finally released from her friend's grip.

Dean nodded to the man and went to his bed, sitting down and closing his eyes to try to catch up on some sleep before the real drama began.

* * *

"Do you know who did this to you?" Dean asked Zack as soon as the Long Island native had woken up and eaten breakfast, looking a bit less like hell but still pretty bad.

Right now the whole team was gathered around the bed, looking down at Zack as he tried to make sense of his rampant thoughts. Vickie had explained a few minutes before Zack awoke that they could work this into the storyline, beating down whoever it was that had attacked Zack to further them and make them a more serious and terrifying stable, which had gotten an approval from everyone there.

If they got to beat up who attacked Zack, they were all up for it.

"What kind of question is that, Dean?" AJ scolded. "The man just finished eating and you're already pouncing down his throat."

Dean growled at her, glaring at the Diva, while she only rolled her eyes. "You need more finesse."

"Well I'm sorry, Queen Crazy, but I wanted to solve the mystery _before _we had to start getting ready for RAW." Dean answered, receiving a glare because of the name.

"If anyone here is the Queen of Crazy, it's Seth. Got it, honey?" AJ bit back, getting a protest from Seth.

"I'm not a chick!"

"Shut up, Seth!" Both Dean and AJ yelled at the two-toned man, who only sank back and hid behind Roman, all the while the two powerhouses just quietly watched the events unfold.

"Could you stop doubting my leader abilities, AJ? It's starting to be a downer on all of us." Dean told her, which got a scoff from AJ.

"If anyone here is the leader, it's me! Not you, Joker! Me!" And with that she stuck her tongue out, receiving an eye roll from Dean.

"Very mature, oh so great leader."

"Are you doubting me?"

And with that she and Dean got into an argument, all the while Zack shook his head, trying to remember everything that had happened. He could remember having been picked up by the Bella Twins and he remembered the awkward and uneasy meeting with Daniel Bryan and John Cena, but after grabbing the shower and changing clothes everything became a bit foggy.

"Yeah, and you're feet stink too!" AJ yelled at Seth, having completely forgotten her previous argument with Dean and moved on to Seth.

"Oh, really?" Seth asked, but Roman smacked him upside the head before he could retort. "Ow!"

"I remember..." Zack mumbled, making Vickie and Dean turn to him.

"What was that, Zack?" Vickie asked him, to have the man look up at her with wide and fearful eyes.

"I remember who attacked me."

"Well, who was it, boy?" Dean asked, feeling a bit unnerved by the fear Zack showed.

"It... It was..." Zack gasped out, then closed his eyes as he felt the tears forming. "John Cena and Dolph Ziggler."

**So sorry about not updating sooner, but I've had a bit of a writer's block and school has kept me extremely busy. But I'm going to try to update at least once a week, just to not leave you guys without any new chapters.**

**Please review.**


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